ID: hksportsinstitute
2020 年 7 月
Ready for the Big Step
By Robbie Capito – Billiard Sports Athlete
Robbie Capito at the World 9-Ball Championships 2019
held in Doha, Qatar (Photo: BO 147 photography)
As a junior athlete, turning into a senior athlete is one of the biggest changes to me or any athlete I believe.
While I was still a junior, I got the chance to participate in many major senior events, such as the China Open, US Open and World Championships. With this I got a bit of an edge against my fellow competitors in the junior events. Even though I couldn’t capture the World Junior Championships title, I was still able to reach the finals twice and semi-finals once. Yes I know… it’s quite disappointing to end my junior career without grabbing a gold, but after a few words with myself, this ended up giving me motivation to win a gold in the men’s game instead of the boys’. After all, the boys’ World Championships is not the ultimate title that I’ve been striving for when I started playing as a junior. It’s always been the men’s World Championships that makes me hungry.
Robbie Capito with Dr Lam Tai-fai at the
graduation ceremony of Lam Tai Fai College
During my secondary school years, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to enter the Partnership School Programme that the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) and Lam Tai Fai College brought to us athletes. This gave me the opportunity to excel in my sports career and at the same time to strike a balance with my education. I got to become classmates with many athletes and meet lots of nice teachers. Most of all, we got more time in training and doing what we love!
I certainly look forward to becoming a senior athlete. This is going to be a big step in my career, and I’m fully prepared and have worked my tail off. There are lots of things to improve to reach the top, and lots of failures to face. I’m really excited and looking forward to what will come. This excitement kind of reminds me of the feeling I had the first time I took part in the World Championships in 2018. I enjoyed every match, loved the experience and believe it or not, I beat the world No.1 at that time to get into the top 16. This match hit the headlines of the “pool world”, which was my greatest achievement so far. This experience meant a lot to me and motivated me to become a better player, all thanks to the HKSI and the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council. With hard work, I believe I’m going to grab a big one for Hong Kong one day!
To all my fellow athletes, we all have the same goal, which is to win that world title. But to get there we need to embrace failures and learn from our mistakes. Never be satisfied, become obsessed. That’s the key because nothing beats hard work!
The upcoming season is going to be full of unexpectedness. We don’t know when we will be back in the competition field due to the pandemic. Hope everyone stays safe and healthy. Wish you guys all the best!