Shen Jinkang
Mr Shen Jinkang, BBS, MH
Honorary University Fellow (2014)
Mr Shen Jinkang, a renowned cycling athlete and coach, is well-respected in sports of Hong Kong and China.
Born in Shanghai in 1953, Mr. Shen Jinkang has a passion for cycling since early childhood. He was an athlete of the Shanghai Cycling Team and later China’s National Cycling Team from 1973 to 1980. His promising career as a cyclist was ruthlessly ended by a traffic accident during training in 1980 when, in an attempt to protect his teammates, his left leg was run over by a truck and had to be amputated. Unthwarted by the loss of his limb, Mr Shen first studied at the Shanghai University of Sport and later graduated from Beijing Sport University with a Master’s degree in Education.
As Mr Shen’s talents in the cycling sport manifested more fully during his university studies, he became the Chief Coach of Shanghai Men’s Cycling Team in 1982. By applying advanced training techniques and coaching science, he built a very promising cycling team which went on to capture numerous championships in competitions at both the provincial and national levels. In 1985, his outstanding performance won him the position of Chief Coach of the China’s National Men’s Cycling Team—the first Chief Coach in the nation’s history to take the seat by election and to secure a unanimous vote. Two years later, he also coached the China’s National Women’s Cycling Team. Under his leadership, both the national men’s and women’s teams achieved spectacular results in competitions at all levels in the following years.
In 1994, Mr Shen took up the position of Head Coach of Hong Kong Cycling Team. The first bold step he took was to invite Mr. Wong Kam Po, who was quitted cycling sport at the time, to rejoin the Hong Kong Cycling Team. Mr Shen placed Wong under strenuous professional training, and after just six months, Wong amazed the world by seizing the fourth place in the 12th Asian Games in Hiroshima, one of the best results ever achieved by a Hong Kong cycling athlete. With Mr Shen’s coaching and Wong’s dedication and pursuit for breakthrough, Wong finally obtained his first Gold in the 13thAsian Games in Bangkok in 1998, winning him the accolade “Asia’s God of Cycling”.
Mr. Shen spends every single day absorbed in work, and rarely taken time off during his past twenty years of service in Hong Kong. Despite his arduous demands, Mr Shen is also a patient mentor. He cares for the psychological well-being of the athletes while instilling in them sportsmanship, philosophies of life and interpersonal skills. This makes him hugely popular among cyclists and has won him great respect in sports of Hong Kong. Under Mr Shen’s two decades of leadership, the Hong Kong Cycling Team turned out scores of young elite athletes including Mr Chan Chun Hing, Mr Kwok Ho Ting, Miss Lee Wai Sze, and Miss Wong Wan Yiu. Many of these cyclists have achieved spectacular results in competitions at national, regional or even international levels, including the Olympic Games and World Championships, thus enhancing Hong Kong’s standing in the international sports arena and reinforcing the position of cycling in Hong Kong sports. From September 2011 to late 2012, Mr Shen was invited to be the Adjunct Coach of the China’s National Cycling Team and helped the team win numerous Olympus medals.
Mr Shen’s valuable contributions to sports have won him numerous honours. He was awarded the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service in 1999 and the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2011 by the HKSAR Government in recognition of his dedication and valuable contributions to the promotion and development of the city’s cycling sport. Since 1995, Mr Shen has been named prestigious Coach of the Year (Senior Athletes, Individual Sport) six times by the Hongkong Bank Foundation Coaching Awards. From 2004 to 2010, Mr Shen took up the membership of the Elite Sports Committee, Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government during which he provided the Government with useful advice on the strategies and policy of long-term development of sports in Hong Kong.
Mr Shen’s legendary life as an athlete and then a coach is an inspiration for many. Mr Shen’s outstanding coaching skills and unwavering efforts in nurturing world-class athletes have won him widespread recognition in the local sports community and around the world. His passion for cycling, resilience in face of misfortune and selfless sacrifice make him a shining role model for the University community and for society as a whole. We hope that he will continue to share with our students and alumni, particularly those of the Department of Physical Education, his insights and valuable experiences and be a positive and uplifting influence.
Mr Shen Jinkang has made distinguished accomplishments in cycling both as an athlete and a coach. His efforts are pivotal toward elevating the Hong Kong Cycling Team to its present fame and status; he has made remarkable contributions to the Hong Kong sports arena.