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29er Asian Championship at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 - Day 1

by 29er Class 29 Jan 10:25 PST 27 January - 1 February 2026
29er Asian Championship at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 - Day 1 © RHKYC / Guy Nowell

If you enjoy sailing in a breeze, Day 1 of Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 was one to savour. Competitors were greeted with fresh conditions, with winds reaching up to 20kts across two race areas off Po Toi Island.

Racing for the fourth edition of the 29er Asian Championship took place near Beaufort Channel.

Race Officer Dave Norton described a challenging but rewarding start to the regatta: "When we arrived, it was blowing 20kts with quite a big sea. As the day went on, the wind and sea state eased to around 12 to 14kts and turned into really nice sailing conditions. Photographers always say they need wind, waves and sun - and we had all three today. It was a really good day."

29er Asian Championship at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 - Day 1 - photo © RHKYC / Guy Nowell
29er Asian Championship at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 - Day 1 - photo © RHKYC / Guy Nowell

A total of 26 teams are competing, promising close and intense racing. Hong Kong fields a strong contingent of 19 home-grown teams, led by standout pairing Louis Polson and Ethan Kiu, who were widely tipped as title contenders. The duo finished fifth in the U17 division at the 2025 29er World Championship and claimed second place (Boys U17) at the 2025 29er Eurocup Final.

They face stiff opposition from four Australian teams and three strong Singaporean entries, competing in the Asian Championship for the first time.

Among them are Sean Kum and Nigel Tan, both former Optimist standouts who finished second and fourth respectively at the 2024 Optimist Asian & Oceania Championship in Hong Kong. Now teaming up in the double-handed 29er, their debut attracted considerable attention.

After four races on Day 1, three Hong Kong, China teams occupied the top three places. Polson and Kiu delivered an outstanding performance, scoring three race wins to lead the fleet by two points. Nicholas Hon and Kaden Chan sit in second place, while the all-girls team of Chloe Kong and McCarley Wong rounded out the podium in third.

With strong breeze, competitive racing and sunshine throughout the day, Hong Kong Race Week 2026 got off to an impressive and memorable start.

www.hongkongraceweek.com

Results after day 1:

PosClassDivisionNatSail NoSailorsR1R2R3R4Pts
1st29erJunior[HKG]3354Ethan Kiu, Louis Polson1(2)115
2nd29erJunior, Men[HKG]3053Nicholas Hon, Kaden Chan21(5)210
3rd29erWomen[HKG]3355Chloe Kong, McCarley Wong3(5)2313
4th29erMen[AUS]2681Atlas Miller, Rory Spinaze Littlejohn(6)43417
5th29erJunior[AUS]3084Kai Lawson, Andy Allt-Graham(26 NSC)34538
6th29erMen[HKG]3055Hins Law, Jaythan Lee467(10)27
7th29erJunior, Men[SGP]2472Sean Kum, Nigel Tan(8)76728
8th29erJunior[AUS]2877Toby Yuen, Joshua Duncan-Andrews5(26 RET)9848
9th29erJunior, Women[HKG]3375Jessica Liu, Leanna Lee7810(11)36
10th29erMen[HKG]3398Ayden Pang, Xu Peng William Chen(9)98935
11th29erJunior, Women[HKG]3383Kristen Hwang, Bernice Pang(26 DNS)1111654
12th29erMen[HKG]3054Sung Chak Kyle Lee, Brandon Sin Him Liu1110(16)1350
13th29erJunior[SGP]2869Cheryl Ho, Gemma Chen 10(13)131248
14th29erMixed[HKG]3351Katie Lai, Ned Tyson(26 DNF)12121565
15th29erJunior, Women[HKG]2751Sze Shuen Lo, Cheuk ting Liu(26 DNF)15151672
16th29erJunior[HKG]2750Ching Jaymee Ip, Hilary Daisy Chan13(26 DNF)181774
17th29erMen[HKG]2840Alex Hon, Alfred Yip(26 NSC)26 DNS141480
18th29erWomen, Junior[HKG]2846Jade Zirah, Penelope Wilde(26 UFD)141726 RET83
19th29erJunior[AUS]2988Mac Darlington, Connor Hood12(26 DNF)26 DNS26 RET90
20th29er [SGP]2466Cheryl Yong, Febe Wong(26 DNC)26 DNC26 DNC26 DNC104
20th29erMixed[HKG]2521Tsz Ching Casie Ho, Soham Singh Mangaraj(26 DNC)26 DNC26 DNC26 DNC104
20th29erMen[HKG]2532Montgomery Jackson, Oliver Lynch(26 DNF)26 RET26 DNS26 DNC104
20th29erMen[HKG]3524Owen Ou, Mack Tung(26 DNC)26 DNC26 DNC26 DNC104
20th29erJunior[HKG]2876Rhys Lee, Ema Poposka(26 DNF)26 DNS26 DNC26 DNC104
20th29erJunior[HKG]3393Keira Hwang, Keana Hah(26 DNS)26 DNS26 DNS26 DNC104

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