Sports Bra – Calvin Klein Performance, Skinny Jeans – Calvin Klein Jeans
翻譯/Translation – Jose Chu
攝影/Photos : Nick D for Precursorprints.com
造型/Stylee : 2 Dirty Guys
髮型及化妝/Hair and Grooming : Karen
SPITGAN : 你可以向我們介紹一下自己嗎？
Yvette Kong : 你好！我叫江忞懿Yvette。今年23歲，我是一個香港人。
SG：你的工作是什麼？
YK：我觸及的工作不少！ 除了游泳以外，我熱衷於傳遞情緒回復的訊息和在香港推廣體育。其中一個我常做的就是在不同的組織和機構舉行座談會。我很高興及榮幸可以擔任成長希望基金會的大使！我希望能夠努力提高大眾對貧窮兒童的認識。我同時也是個業餘的攝影師！
<< Chinese continued after English >>
SPITGAN : Can you please introduce yourself to us? Your name, age and nationality?
Yvette Kong : My name is Yvette Man-yi Kong. I am 23, and I am from Hong Kong.
SG : What do you do?
YK : I’m into a lot of things… Other than professional swimming, I’m passionate about passing on the message of resilience, and promoting sports in Hong Kong. One of the ways is to speak at various organisations and institutions. I’m very grateful to be anointed the goodwill ambassador of Changing Young Lives Foundation, and am doing work to raise awareness for underprivileged children. I’m also an amateur photographer!
SG : Are you living your dream?
YK : Absolutely. I am content with what I have now. At the same time, I’m excited for opportunities to better myself and others around me.
SG : What is the greatest sacrifice you have made to live your dream?
YK : Swimming has always been a huge commitment in all aspects – time wise, physically, emotionally and mentally. it takes up a big chunk of my life and there are some not-so-delightful things about it. However, I never see myself sacrificing anything. I gained so much from my sporting career that I think I’m in debt to the sport! The so-called negatives like having a very tight schedule, enduring tough practices, etc. in turn, upgraded me into a person of better skills and values.
SG : How did it feel to find out you made the Olympics?
YK : It was a mixture of relief and excitement. Going to the Olympics had been my dream for about 20 years. I missed it twice, narrowly, and to have made it, it was kinda surreal. It was too much to process at that moment. Without a thought, I just threw my arms up in the air.
SG : How did you find out about it?
YK : I had a race in Eindhoven in April (2016). I did my main event there, and I hit the automatic qualification time. So the qualification time for a 100 metre breaststroke is a minute, 7 seconds, and 85. My time was just below that, 1:07:69, so I automatically qualified for the Olympics. That was pretty cool! I celebrated in the water right away!
SG : Describe the feeling of entering the stadium during the Opening Ceremonies in Rio.
YK : I didn’t go. My race was 2 days after. I figured it would be too exhausting for me to walk the opening ceremony. Would have loved to be there though!
SG : How did you feel about your performances at Rio?
YK : I think overall, I am really happy with my Olympic journey – it’s been incredible! I felt there’s a little bit more in Rio in regards to my own performances; I would have loved to swim a little faster. That said, it’s been a huge learning curve with it being my first Olympics. There was just a lot to learn from that experience like handling media attention, and preparing for the biggest meet on Earth…
SG : So there was a lot more than just the swimming part?
YK : Yes. It was a whole new package to deal with.
SG : Will you compete in another Olympics?
YK : I am considering. You know by 2020 I’ll be about 27. Right now my main priority is to rest up. Get a holiday. Maybe get back in the water in a month or two, and start training to see where I am.
SG : Would you say your a competitive person?
YK : Absolutely. I am highly competitive. I always want to win, though I know that winning isn’t the most important thing in life.
SG : Would you say your a different person as an athlete compared to your day-to-day?
YK : I think its pretty much the same. The athletic Yvette, and the daily life Yvette is pretty much the same. Although, I would say I am a lot more intimidating when I put my goggles and cap on! That’s what people say too. I look so cool, and am about to murder someone. LOL.
Jacket – House of Holland
SG : Hahah. I see!
YK : It’s just my game face.
SG : Is there a name for that Yvette?
YK : Not really, but in Hong Kong people like to call me the “Breastroke Queen” now, when they refer to me as a swimmer. So that’s a pretty flattering name, but I am sure there are other breast stroke queens out there.
SG : You have a racing color?
YK : I love red. I think its fierce. Red hot fire!
SG : That works pretty well for Hong Kong.
YK : Yeah, it’s also the color for Hong Kong.
SG : How much of your sport is mental?
YK : 80-90% I’d say. The mental is such a big part of any sport. In swimming it’s the consistency in training. To be successful in swimming we must be really consistent in training. It’s quite a tough job to be consistent in training ‘cuz it’s quite a tough job ‘cuz we train for 20-30 hours a week. That’s every week for 9-10 months.
SG : How do you prepare for the mental aspects of it?
YK : I do a lot of things for mental training. I would say the most important one is to visualize. So anytime during the day I will sit down for a quiet moment and think about how I want to present myself during race day, how I want to exercise my race. I visualize every detail, even winning the race and celebrating in the water. It helps me a lot in preparing for the big day. It reminds me what kind of athlete I want to be day in and day out.
SG : You’ve had a lot of challenges on your road to Rio. For aspiring athletes, or our readers in general would you have any tips for success?
YK : I had about six years of bottleneck performances and I missed the Olympics twice, narrowly. I think the main message I want to get out there is that obstacles can be overcome. Anyone has the ability to chase their dreams. I also learned from my experience its such a crucial thing to enjoy the process. For a little while I was a bit too fixated on the results, and I let it become a burden on my career. I wasn’t enjoying the process and I wasn’t taking in what swimming had to offer. I think swimming is so much more important than performance. It’s also about the memories I’ve made with my teammates, the connections with people, the life lessons. Once I learned how to enjoy the process. I found I had a lot more gratitude in my career and in life. I was able to let go the idea of results and gradually I became happier and happier. I was able to find well-being.
It can be kind of ironic. I let go of the results and my actual performance went up.
Left : Sports Bra – Calvin Klein Performance, Skinny Jeans – Calvin Klein Jeans
Right : Jumpsuit – Pleats Please
SG : Is music a part of your preparation?
YK : Yeah. I like to listen to songs before I race. I would say I have a pretty bad taste in music. Just anything. It can range from 60’s, Bee Gees, to Eminem. It could be Bob Marley, “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, just anything that suits my mood. Haha.
SG : Any Hong Kong singers?
YK : I like Samuel Hui, Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung. All these kind of old singers… and I like Eason Chan also!
SG : What are one or two things you would improve about Hong Kong?
YK : I’d say air pollution is definitely a concern. Like how amazing would Hong Kong be with fresher air? If it can be a greener city I think it would be hard to beat.
SG : Who would you like to work with right now?
YK : Hmmm… in general, I’d like to work with people who inspire me everyday.
SG : Favorite Chinese hero?
YK : Does Mulan count? I think she’s a “nu han zi” (女漢子）of great integrity with a side of bravery and kindness. Of course she’s bad-ass – such an empowering figure I grew up with.
SG : A modern Chinese role model you admire.
YK : China has a lot of impeccable people I admire. As a sportsperson, I’d like to list Li Na here. She’s a trail blazer not just for China tennis but for sports at large. The kind of vision and grit she possesses and endures is mind boggling. I also love that she’s subtly humorous!
Top : Calvin Klein Underwear, Skinny Jeans : Calvin Klein Jeans
<< Chinese interview continued >>
SG：你覺得你是否活在理想的生活當中？
YK：絕對是的！我非常滿意我現在的生活。我也很高興能夠改善自己和其他人的生活！
SG：那在你實現夢想的過程中，最大的犧牲是什麼？
YK：其實游泳這項運動需要各方面的配合和承諾，包括時間、智慧、生理、心理及精神狀態等。它佔了我生活的一大部份時間，因此也有些不愉快的事發生過，不過我從來不覺得是一種犧牲。我覺得我從我的運動生涯得到了那麼多，是我欠了這個運動吧！所謂負面的東西，例如非常緊張的時間表、持久又艱難的訓練等，都使我成為一個擁有更好的技術和價值觀的人。
SG：當你知道能夠參加奧運會時有什麼感覺？
YK：當然是興奮，同時有一種慰藉的感覺。20年來，去奧運會一直都是我的夢想！我已經錯過兩次了！差一點我就會與這個夢想擦身而過，現在我覺得有點超現實。那一刻太多事、太多情緒要處理了，腦海一篇空白，就伸了個懶腰！
SG：你是怎樣獲得奧運會資格的？
YK：2016年的4月我在荷蘭恩荷芬有個比賽，100公尺蛙式是我的主要項目之一。當時奧運會自動晉身的時間是1分07秒85，而我於荷蘭公開賽的100公尺蛙式初賽游出1分07秒69的成績，所以直接取得參加里約奧運會的入場券！我開心得直接在水中慶祝！
SG：在里約奧運會開幕式中，進入體育場那一刻你有什麼感覺？
YK：雖然我很喜歡那裡，但是我沒有去。因為我的比賽就在兩天後，我覺得走開幕式會讓我太疲憊了。
SG：那你覺得你在里約奧運會的表現如何？
YK：總括來說，我的奧運之旅十分開心和令人難以置信的！我覺得我在里約的表現，我希望游得再快一點點！這是我第一次參加的奧運會，是一個很好的機會讓我去學習。很多事需要從這種經驗中學到，例如面對處理媒體關注，並為地球上最大的聚會做準備…！
SG：所以不止是游泳的部份？
YK：對的！當是一件全新的事來處理。
SG：你還會參加下屆奧運嗎？
YK：我還在考慮。2020年我已經27歲了！對我來說現在最緊要的是休息，先來一個假期。或許一兩個月後我會回到水裡去，開始訓練和看看我的能力去到那裡。
Jumpsuit – Pleats Please, Sports Bra – Calvin Klein Performance
SG：你是一個好勝心強的人嗎？
YK：絕對是！我有很強的好勝心！雖然我知道勝利不是生活中最重要的事，不過我總是想贏！
SG：平常的你和當運動員的你，是否兩個完全不同的人？
YK：我覺得幾乎是一樣的。雖然其他人總覺得帶上帽子和泳鏡時都很酷，好像要去謀殺人的！但我覺得運動員Yvette和平常的Yvette是沒有分別的！哈哈！
SG：哈哈！我明白！
YK：那只是我準備作戰的樣子。
SG：你有什麼稱號嗎？
YK：我想沒有吧…不過當香港人提及我的泳手身份時，他們會叫我「蛙后」。當然這是個很好的名字，不過我相信有更多「蛙后」比我好！
SG：你有一個競賽用的顏色嗎？
YK：我喜歡紅色，我覺得有激戰的感覺。火熱的紅色！
SG：這和香港的感覺很相近吧！
YK：Yeah! 這也是個香港象徵性的顏色吧。
SG：你的運動佔多大部份是精神上的訓練？
YK：8-9成吧！精神上的訓練是任何運動中很重要的一環。一個成功的游泳訓練必須是和心理一同訓練的。因為這是一個很困難的工作，我們的訓練大約每星期20-30小時，這種生活大約持續9-10個月，很不容易！
SG：那你是如何準備這種心理去接受的？
YK：我有很多方法去給自己心理準備的。其中一個最有效的方法是幻想。很多時候我會讓自己冷靜下來，給自己一個寧靜的空間，然後想想我希望在比賽中如何表現自己，如何為我的比賽進行鍛煉等。任何細節我都會去想象，包括勝出比賽和在水中慶祝等等…這對我準備我的「大日子」有很大幫助，也同時提醒我想要當一個怎樣的運動員。
SG：在你往里約奧運的路上，你面對了許多困難和挑戰。作為一個有抱負的運動員或單純一個我們普通的讀者，你有沒有什麼成功的技巧或竅門？
YK：我大約有六年的表現都處於瓶頸位，我因而錯過了兩次奧運會。如果要說一個成功的技巧，我會想傳遞一個訊息——障礙是可以克服的。任何人都有能力去追尋他們的夢想。我也是從我的經驗中學到了一個非常緊要的事，就是享受過程。有一段時間，我太過注重結果，這使我對我的泳手生涯有很重的擔子。我不能享受那個過程，游泳讓我覺得力不從心。我認為游泳遠比表演重要。這也是一個我和隊友之間的回憶，和其他人溝通的一課。當我學懂了如何去享受過程後，我發現我對我的人生和職業多了許多感恩。我能夠放棄重視結果的想法，逐漸地我變得更加快樂！我找到幸福的感覺。這實在有點諷刺，我放棄了結果，卻讓我的表現提升。
Left : Top – House of Holland, Skinny Jeans – Calvin Klein Jeans
Right : Sports Bra – Calvin Klein Performance, Skinny Jeans – Calvin Klein Jeans
SG：音樂是你在準備時的其中一部份嗎？
YK：是的！我喜歡在比賽前聽歌。我會說我在音樂上的品味很糟糕，任何類型的歌我都會聽。範圍可以從60年代的Bee Gees到Eminem。也可以是 Bob Marley的“Don’t Worry Be Happy”，只要是適合我心情的歌都可以，哈哈！
SG：有喜歡的香港歌手嗎？
YK：我喜歡許冠傑、梅艷芳、張國榮這些前輩級的歌手，哈哈！我也很喜歡陳奕迅。
SG：有沒有一兩件事你覺得是香港可以改進的？
YK：空氣污染絕對是一個嚴重的問題！如果香港有新鮮的空氣那會多好。我相信如果香港是一個綠色城市，絕對很難被擊敗！
SG：會有一個人你想和他合作嗎？
YK：唔⋯⋯我會說我希望和每天激勵我的人工作吧。
SG：說一個你喜歡的中國英雄。
YK：我可以說是花木蘭嗎？我覺得她是個誠實的「女漢子」，她很勇敢和善良。當然她很粗魯，這樣一個有自主權的人。
SG：一個你欣賞的現代中國好榜樣？
YK：中國有很多無可挑剔的人我很崇拜的。作為一個運動員，我會說是李娜。她的成就不止在網球，她是一個中國體育的先驅者。她擁有的目光和剛毅是令人難以置信的。我也很喜歡她隱約的幽默感。
Sports Bra – Calvin Klein Performance, Skinny Jeans – Calvin Klein Jeans
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