LO WINGING HIS WAY BACK

Former laser sailor who won silver at 2007 SEA Games makes return with wingfoiling

- Kimberly Kwek

Having left competitive racing for more than a decade, Lo Jun Hao has found himself back in familiar waters over the past year.

Once a laser sailor who won a silver medal in the Super Mod class at the 2007 SEA Games, the 34-year-old's racing set-up looks vastly different now as he has switched to wingfoiling, a water sport that is growing in popularity around the world.

Since taking part in his first wingfoiling competition in May 2024, Lo has chalked up a few encouraging results, including finishing top in the X-15 wingfoil class at the Pattaya International Windsurfing Championships in December.

While the regatta was a test event for the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand, wingfoiling is not part of the programme yet, although Lo hopes it will be included eventually.

For now, he is just relishing the chance to compete again. He said: "I'd like to keep the momentum up and continue the regional races first. I know I can't win forever, but I'll try to win as many as I can before the time runs out.

"But what I'm more excited about is how the sport is still developing... and hasn't reached its peak yet. It's exciting to be part of this journey."

Lo's path back to competitive racing came unexpectedly a few years ago.