PETALING JAYA: Triathlete Chong Xian Hao (pic) is not fully fit but he is definitely on the road to recovery.
Xian Hao had to withdraw from the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after sustaining an elbow injury following a fall from his bicycle during training.
Instead of dwelling on the unfortunate mishap, Xian Hao has started swimming.
And if everything runs smoothly, he will be competing in the triathlon meets – Desaru 113 at Lotus Desaru Beach Resort (Sept 17-18) and the Asia Cup Ipoh in Ipoh (Nov 18-20) with his training partner, Isaac Tan Zhen Wei.
“Xian Hao is moving forward to his next goal after missing out on the Commonwealth Games,” said coach Albert Tan Yi Wey.
“There are a few small races but the big ones that both Xian Hao and Isaac will participate in are the Desaru 113 and Asia Cup Ipoh.”
Albert did not want Xian Hao to rush into competitive form even though the injury was not painful any more.
“He is doing mainly easy swims while building up his strength. I didn’t push for his timings,” said Albert.
The 21-year-old Xian Hao’s long-term goal is to compete in the triathlon world championship races.
Following Xian Hao’s withdrawal from the recent Games, Isaac went on to compete alone and finished in 34th spot after completing the race, which comprises a 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run, in 1’02:58.
