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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
SportHong Kong

Tokyo 2020: triathlete Oscar Coggins as ready as ever for Olympics this summer – ‘I’ll be in the best form of my life’

  • The Hong Kong born to British parents triathlete has all but locked down the Asian slot for Tokyo Games
  • Coggins says having access to Sports Institute facilities has been a massive plus for his training

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Hong Kong triathlete Oscar Coggins said he is primed and ready for the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Handout
Patrick Blennerhassett
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong triathlete Oscar Coggins said he feels as ready as ever.
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“I think I’ll be in the best form of my life in a couple months when races hopefully roll around, if I’m not in that form already,” said the 21-year-old. “I haven’t had any official competitions to put myself to the test, but I’ve done some internal testing and time trials to keep motivated and see where I’m at. I’m getting personal bests in swimming, biking and running.”

Coggins burst onto the triathlon scene in 2015 when he finished second at the Hong Kong National Championship as a 16-year-old competing against elite men. Since then he has compiled an impressive resume, which includes winning the 2019 Gyeongju ATSC Triathlon Asian Championships in South Korea as a 19-year-old.
He has all but clinched the Asian spot in Tokyo’s triathlon race, which will be held on July 26 at Odaiba Marine Park, right in the heart of the city along the waterfront. Coggins has a 260-point lead on Ayan Beisenbayev, of Kazakhstan, a margin so big he said he can hit cruise control in terms of booking his ticket to Japan.
Oscar Coggins has been tearing up the Asian circuit in the past few years. Photo: Handout
Oscar Coggins has been tearing up the Asian circuit in the past few years. Photo: Handout
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“In practice, this means he needs to win the Asian Championships, with me also finishing outside the top eight. So it’s just on the edge of the spot being mathematically impossible for me to lose. The qualification process hasn’t yet been resumed after it was paused in early March last year. The only information we have at the moment is that it will not restart until at least May.”

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