Sam Cheng poses for pictures after the kayak single 500m heat at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province on Oct. 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Yao Youming)
Twenty-nine years after her father Sam Hiu Hing made the debut of Macao canoeists at the Hiroshima Asian Games, Sam Cheng left her own mark at the Hangzhou Asiad.
by sportswriters Yao Youming, Wei Jingyu, and Wu Kunpeng
HANGZHOU, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Despite Sam Cheng of Macao, China falling short of reaching the final in the women's kayak single 500m event at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games, her performance signified the return of her family to the grand event since 1994.
Twenty-nine years prior, Sam Hiu Hing, Cheng's father, marked the debut of Macao canoeists at the Hiroshima Asiad. Although Sam Cheng finished last in both the heat and semifinal round this time, the 19-year-old expressed satisfaction with her performance at the Fuyang Water Sports Center in the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.
Sam Cheng (L) prepares for the women's kayak single 500m heat. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)
"In today's race, I was against the wind, but I achieved a similar result to what I usually did in training without winds," said the teenager, who is currently enrolled at the Shanghai International Studies University.
"I have tried my best," she added.
At 1.55 meters tall, she is nearly the shortest among the event's participants. Despite this, she had some unique strategies. "I try to plunge the paddle deeper into the water and row as frequently as possible," Cheng explained.
Occupied with her studies during weekdays, she utilized weekends to train on a lake in Shanghai. In her spare time, Sam Cheng engages in fitness training. "I want to have more muscles, looking forward to improving my performance," the young athlete mentioned.
Sam Cheng and her father Sam Hiu Hing pose for pictures. (Xinhua/Yao Youming)
In 2012, Sam Hiu Hing introduced his daughter to a kayak event at Nam Van Lake in Macao, China.
"When I practiced outside, I didn't want to leave her alone at home. So I bought my daughter a kayak when she was eight years old. I found her talented at that time," the 56-year-old reminisced.
At Nam Van Lake, Sam Hiu Hing devoted many years to training his son and daughter, despite coaching being a part-time endeavor for him. To accompany his daughter to the Hangzhou Asiad, he took a leave of absence.
The training system in Macao was initiated in 1994 by a coach from China's southern Guangdong province. "It was before Macao's return to China, but our motherland had helped us a lot in preparation for the Asian Games," Sam Hiu Hing acknowledged to Xinhua.
"Our paddlers continued to benefit from that training system."
"My daughter was born in a good era. She was trained in a more scientific way, thanks to the rapid economic and social development of the Macao Special Administrative Region."
In the father's eyes, his daughter's presence on the grand stage of Asiad carries significant meaning for their family.
"Twenty-nine years had passed. There is a magic bond between our Asian Games campaigns," Sam Hiu Hing shared.
Currently, Sam Cheng's occupational planning remains undefined. Over summer vacation, she assisted in training more than 30 young canoeists, working alongside her father.
Nonetheless, the young paddler from Macao is resolute in her commitment to the sport for the foreseeable future. ■
