Talking about Triathlon, the picture of a bunch of brawny men sweating over a rugged terrain may pop up in your head. Yet, the lady champion of the 2008 Taiwan Heng Chun Peninsula 113-km International Triathlon held in April is none other than Woman Police Constable Chow Pui-yan from Uniform Branch, Tuen Mun District.

In fact, she has not only grabbed the ladies' title, but also ranked 31st among a total of 375 male and female competitors.

She was grateful to Tuen Mun District for sparing no efforts in promoting the concept of a healthy lifestyle among her colleagues. With the staunch support and encouragement of the District, she has taken part in many competitions local and overseas.

WPC Chow shared her recipe of success with OffBeat by pointing out that "preparation is of paramount importance." As the mileages of all the three legs of the competition were about double the Olympic standards, physical training needed to be adjusted in swimming, biking, and running. Equipment-wise, investment in appropriate gear was also necessary. Thus a new swimsuit and a set of special rings for the mountaineering bike to tackle rugged terrain, to name a few, were brought in. Even the seat and the handle bar of the bike had to be adjusted for the competition. Despite all these challenges, she managed to make off with the gold medal.

She has lost count of the medals she has taken since taking part in her first triathlon competition in 1999. Other than this competition held at the southern tip of Taiwan, she was most impressed with the international triathlon competition in Wulong County, Chongqing Municipality in 2005. All the teams taking part in this three-day team event comprised three males and one female. Unfortunately she was injured before the first day finished, but with the full support and encouragement of her teammates, she managed to help her team complete the competition and capture the fourth place.

Although having joined the Force only for five years, WPC Chow has already appreciated that sport exchanges with police forces elsewhere help promote the image of the Force. Good examples of this are the World Police and Fire Games and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Police and Security Forces Sports Exchange. These sport meets have dawned on her that the Force is well respected by its counterparts around the world. She always proudly tells her counterparts on those occasions: "I am a police officer too!"

WPC Chow is now preparing for a 10-day non-stop team adventure at Patagonia, Argentina, the piece of land closest to Antarctica. No Asian team has ever taken part in it so far. Hence, she hopes that her team will set a record.

WPC Chow receives her International Triathlon prize in Taiwan

WPC Chow has set her sights on a 10-day team adventure in Argentina