(From left) Runner Jimmy Lee Cho-wai, footballer Marco Wegener, and squash player Pansy Chan Pui-hei.Many inter-school stars have now left school after graduating, but that doesn't mean competition will be any less keen.
Marco Wegener, a Form Six student, saved his football team from elimination in the inter-school tournament's group stage last season. His school, La Salle College, was the defending champion but had a tough time securing its second consecutive title. Marco scored the only goal in the crucial match against Diocesan Boys' School.
The 17-year-old says he was not nervous at the time. "I didn't think too much and I didn't plan to score that goal," he says. "It was a pass from my teammate Fong Pak-lun and I simply shot, it was really unexpected." Marco, who also plays for the Hong Kong Under-18 football team, is confident his school will make it to at least the semi-finals, despite core players Pak-lun and Fung Hing-wa having graduated.
The HKDSE candidate is also joining La Salle's basketball team, which is the defending inter-school champion. La Salle's core players Karton Ma Ho-chun and Andy Yee Hon-fai have graduated, putting more pressure on the other boys.
Mid- and long-distance runner Jimmy Lee Cho-wai moved to Diocesan Boys' School during the last academic year. In his first Inter-school Athletics Championships, the 17-year-old Hong Kong junior athletics team runner won three gold medals in the A-grade 800m, 1,500m and 4x400m relay races, and broke the tournament record in the A-grade 800m.
"This year my goals are defending my three gold medals and breaking the tournament records in these three events. It would be great if I could break the Hong Kong junior record of 800m in the same tournament," says Jimmy, whose personal best is now about 2 seconds behind the record.
Form Five student Jimmy will also play for his football team. "Actually I wanted to play last year and I told the team I would join when our team enters the Jing Ying Tournament," says Jimmy. But Marco's goal in the La Salle-Diocesan match ended the Diocesan boys' Jing Ying dream. "This year I won't wait till that stage and hopefully I can help my school return to the Jing Ying Tournament again," Jimmy says.
Pansy Chan Pui-hei has yet to win an inter-school title. The 16-year-old Form Five student from Sacred Heart Canossian College has many awards, but wants her first trophy in the inter-school individual squash championships.
"I had a good chance to win my first inter-school title when I led Heep Yunn School's Choi Uen-shan 7-1 in the deciding game of a match," says Pansy. "I was only four points away from victory, but I lost to Uen-shan 13-11."
Defeat was heartbreaking and Pansy cried right after the match. Now she is ready to fight for the top spot again.
"This year I may have an even tougher road to the final," she says. "I should be seeded No3 and I predict I will face my two Hong Kong junior teammates Uen-shan and Ho Tze-lok in the semi-final and final. However, I think I will handle the matches better than last year."
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