Hong Kong's best chances for a medal at the Doha Asian Games will be in the triathlon.

The event will be held along the famous Al Corniche, a city landmark. Hong Kong team in the triathlon event, which will be held on December 8, will be led by top-ranked Daniel Lee Chi-wo, who has had an impressive show on the International Triathlon Union (ITU) circuit.

Lee, the team's most experienced member, won in Subic Bay earlier in the year, and he came a close second in another Asian Cup event in Jinzhou in September and narrowly missed chance at the Hong Kong triathlon in October.

Sports commentators consider Lee as one of Asia's top triathletes and regards him as a strong contender at Doha and a medal-hopeful.

"I've been happy with my preparation for the event," said Lee on Wednesday. "At the moment I'm finishing up my altitude training and the effects should kick in and improve my fitness by the eighth." The 29-year old has declared himself fit and is ready to go for the big event.

However, he will have to face stiff challenge from arch-rivals and triathlete veterans, Dmitriy Gaag and Daniil Sapunov, of Kazakhstan and Tayama Hirokatsu of Japan.

Lee won in the Philippines in May without either Gaag or Sapunov in the fray, but it was a creditable win, though. And he will spare no efforts to reverse his second-place finish to Sapunov at Jinzhou and to Gaag in the Hong Kong event, where he lost by an agonizing one second after finishing level in the swim and run stages.

However, the spotlight will be on Gaag, considered as one of Asia's best since his surprise win at the World Championships in 1999, and Sapunov, too, is a strong contender. But, a determined Lee wouldn't let it go so easily.

"At the Asian Championships, I finished fourth but I started too quickly at the beginning and lost it during the swim (stage). This time I'll start off slower and target the second pack during the swim and the bike. If I can start the third stage close to the leaders, I'll be trying for a top three finish."

"Daniel a strong runner and that is where he'll get the best result," says Ruth Hunt, the team's coach. "Daniil (Sapunov) is experienced, but Dmitriy is probably the favourite in the run stage. But if Daniel can stay with the leaders after the swim and does not tire too much on the bike, he'll be able to get in the low 30 minutes mark in the run. And that will give him a chance for a medal," he said.

In the triathlon, a gruelling test of endurance comprising a 1,500-metre swim followed by a 40-km bike ride and a 10-km run, strategy is the key factor and having a psychological edge is where races can be won or lost, said Hunt.

"Knowing how to pace yourself; when to push your opponent, can be a big factor in the race. That's the beauty of the sport," he added.

The veteran coach believes the Japanese, though good runners, will struggle to stay with the leaders in the swim stage, while our mainland counterparts may have the other problem.

"Each competitor has different strengths during each part of the race and must know when to use them," he said. Triathlon team has promising youngsters like Andrew Wright, Tania Mak So-ning and Christine Bailey.

Wright, 23, is ranked first in the men's Under 23 division at the Macao Asian Cup in September while Mak, 20, is ranked second in the women's Under 23 division at the same event.

"Andrew is a strong swimmer and has a lot of heart, but he'll need to do more in the run. Getting a good result will be difficult, but these younger members haven't had the kind of competition at their age that you get in other countries, so they have to develop their skills," he said.

In Doha, the athletes will have more to worry about than just their rivals. The team needs to finish among the leaders in both men's and women's categories to avoid being possibly struck off the list of elite sports supported by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI).

To satisfy a complex evaluation system, the team will be hoping for a medal or at least two top eight finishes in order to reach the minimum performance targets required to stay on the roster.

Removal would mean a withdrawal of critical funding, coaching and other facilities necessary to compete in the sport.

"It's especially hard in the women's draw as there are only 15 competitors, not the normal 24 or more," said Hunt. "This means that we need to get a top five finish (top third), instead of a top eight finish.

"At 8.5 points (overall), we are very close to the nine required, so it will be a tragedy if the sport is struck off the list just because we don't get the results we need," he said.