Our Story

"British Para swimmer, Jessica-Jane Applegate inspires me to do my best and be courteous like her."

Debut At The Paralympics

"I like swimming because gliding through the water gives me a sense of freedom," said Chan Yui Lam, the eighteen-year-old Hong Kong swimmer who made her Paralympics debut in Tokyo last year. Yui Lam took up swimming at the age of 8. After her brother and sister took swimming classes during the summer holiday, her mother also enrolled her into the class. Yui Lam then started joining after school swimming lessons since primary 4. Miss Chan, the school teacher of Hong Chi Tsui Lam Morninghill School said, "By offering swimming lessons to our students, we hope they can overcome the fear of water and learn a new life skill at school."

Yui Lam represented the school and displayed her prowess in the Special Olympics Hong Kong Swimming Competition. Soon after, she was recommended by her school teacher to take part in the Special Olympics Youth Swimming Squad Selection. "Yui Lam started studying at Hong Chi Tsui Lam Morninghill School since primary 1. She is lively, active and a quick learner, as well as a standout swimmer. We tried to explore different opportunities to develop her sporting talent," said Miss Chan. Yui Lam excelled herself in the race and was recruited to join the Special Olympics Youth Swimming team. She received training in Tier C category as anewcomer to get a feel for competitive swimming. Then she moved up to Tier A and received a more focused and intense training with elite-level swimmers. Her remarkable performance allowed her an entry ticket to compete in 5 individual and in 1 relay team races in the Tokyo Paralympics.

The Butterfly Queen
Yui Lam is specialized in 100m butterfly stroke. She won a bronze medal in personal best time of 1:06:45 and set a new Hong Kong and Asian record in the S14 women's 100m butterfly event at the London 2019 World Para Swimming Championships. Butterfly involves rhythmic and coordinated movements. It requires advanced technique as well as strong muscle which make it one of the most difficult strokes to master. To achieve peak performance in every race, Yui Lam has been receiving swimming and strength training six days a week. Spending a lot of time in the water is difficult for a student-swimmer to balance school and swimming. Yui Lam tries to adopt an active approach in school learning so that she can unite her passion for swimming and her focus on study, "I catch up on my own by doing online research. Furthermore, I ask for teachers' and family members' assistance if I get stuck in my study," said Yui Lam.

Meanwhile, her school teachers have specially tailored different supplementary lessons for Yui Lam to catch up on her studies. "Since Yui Lam has to take part in overseas races frequently, we keep using email to stay in touch with her. Apart from providing online academic support, Yui Lam can share the bits and pieces of her daily life with us while she is abroad," said Miss Chan. By providing academic and emotional support to Yui Lam, she can go down a pathway of continuing her study while pursuing her swimming career.

Facing Pressure
There are some moments when Yui Lam feels like giving up her dream as an athlete. "I feel worried and frustrated when I encounter bottlenecks in swimming games. No matter how hard I try, I cannot get to where I want to be," said Yui Lam. The series of COVID-19 waves have seriously affected her normal training routine. Nearly all scheduled training and competition have either been postponed or rescheduled. "It is difficult to keep myself in a peak physical condition during the lockdown periods. I feel lagging behind when I returned to sports. I must work harder to get back in shape," she said. Listening to fast-paced electronic music and English songs are the most effective ways for Yui Lam to relieve stress. "Most importantly, I have to learn how to overcome my performance anxiety and enjoy myself in each and every race."

School teachers and classmates made short videos to cheer up Yui Lam after she had entered the finals in the Tokyo Paralympics. Although she missed out on a medal narrowly by finishing fourth in the women's 100m butterfly, she never lost faith in herself. She will continue to flourish in the world of swimming andpursue a Paralympic medal before her retirement. "I wish I can take part in the Brisbane 2032 Summer Olympics when I will be approaching the age of 30. After retiring from competing, I will turn my attentions to coaching," said Yui Lam. 

Being Grateful, Being Thankful
Taking part in the world's foremost sports competition, not only does Yui Lam need to work hard in leveraging her skills, but she also gives credit to the school, swimming coach, and her family as well as teammates for providing guidance and support during her athletic journey. "I want to thank my family, especially my mom for driving me to different places in order to receive swimming training. I am grateful for my coach's dedication to helping me improve my performance, and to my teammates for encouraging and supporting me during the high-pressure training. Last but not the least, I am thankful for having the school's support in developing my swimming potential and for giving me space to grow," said Yui Lam.

"Her positivity and resilience make her go further even though the training is tough and challenging," said Miss Chan. We strongly believe our students possess versatile talents. With appropriate education and training, they can develop to their fullest potential. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and may she continue to shine in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.