Meet Hong Kong & Asia's 29er Champions: Ethan Kiu & Louis Polson
by 29er Class 9 Feb 22:36 PST
27 January - 1 February 2026
Hong Kong & Asia's 29er Champions: Ethan Kiu & Louis Polson © International 29er Class Association
Louis Polson and Ethan Kiu, both 14 years old, represent Hong Kong in the 29er class and sail for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) and the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI).
After excelling in the Optimist, they made the jump to the 29er, bringing with them a strong foundation in tactics, strategy, and boat handling — essential skills for starting out in this fast and demanding class.
Before sailing the 29er, which classes did you come from? What skills from those boats still help you the most today?
We both came from the Optimist, which gave us a solid understanding of tactics, strategy, and basic boat handling. Those skills were very useful when we started sailing the 29er.
You've just won both the Asian Championship and the Hong Kong Championship. What do these results mean to you as a team?
Our results at the recent Hong Kong Nationals and Asian Championships reflected our hard work and training. It was great racing practice and we are proud of how we sailed.
You're both U17 and already competing at a very high level. When did you start to feel that this crew could be something special?
We realized we could work well together and understand each other over the summer, during Kiel Week, Worlds, and Euros. That's when we felt this crew could be something special.
At last year's World Championship in Portugal you finished 6th among the U17 fleet. What was the biggest lesson you took away from that event?
The biggest lesson from Porto Worlds was learning to make better strategic decisions and not letting emotions affect our choices, even under pressure.
You were awarded Best Performance Asia at the 29er Awards. What do you think makes sailing in Asia unique?
Sailing in Asia is different from Europe. We often deal with lower wind densities and many geographical features that affect the wind, unlike Europe, where racing is usually on open seas and long coasts.
How do you work together on and off the water? What's the key to your communication during races?
We work well together both on and off the water. The key to good communication during races is keeping things simple and reminding each other of our roles on the boat.
Who's the calm one and who's the emotional one in the boat?
Ethan: At the beginning, Louis was more emotional, but as we improved as a team, both of us learned to stay calm under pressure.
What are you focusing on improving the most right now?
Right now, we are focusing on improving our understanding of the wind and making strong, confident decisions on the course.
Looking ahead, what are your main goals for the next 29er season?
We aim to do our best over the summer at Kiel Worlds and keep improving for the Youth Worlds in December.
One last question: What's one thing about your teammate that you couldn't sail without anymore?
We can't sail without knowing how to keep each other calm under pressure and backing each other in the decisions we make.