Looking back on Bangkok Patana 2024

By Bradley Tang

It was almost midnight on December 5, 2024, when 16 swimmers from the RCHK Black Kites Swim Team landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, for the 2024 Bangkok Patana Feeding Frenzy Swimming Competition. Fresh from the International Schools Sports Federation of Hong Kong (ISSFHK) Swimming Championships at Victoria Park Swimming Pool merely eight hours prior, the swimmers tiredly queued up at Thailand immigration.

Led by Mr. Lee Burns, Mr. Chris Molnar, and Ms. Rebecca Thompson, the Bangkok Patana Feeding Frenzy was the most anticipated swimming competition at RCHK. For many, it was their first trip overseas with the RCHK Black Kites and their first international swimming competition. Of the 16 swimmers representing the team, eight were Year 7 students embarking on their first international trip with the Black Kites. Mr. Lee Burns, Head of PE at RCHK, also joined the trip for the first time to support this great turnout. When asked about his overall experience and the organization of Patana School, Mr. Burns said, “Our Black Kites Team has performed extremely well during the competition. As Head of PE, it was important to get an overview and breadth of this trip and see how RCHK compares to other schools around Asia that have bigger budgets and facilities for their swim programs. The Bangkok Patana School was very organized, as everything went smoothly and on time.”

Mr. Chris Molnar, RCHK’s Aquatics Director and Head Coach of the Black Kites swim team, reflected on previous trips to the Feeding Frenzy. He commented, “Black Kites has been going to Feeding Frenzy for four years now, with a short pause during Covid; it was nice to see the event bringing a lot more younger students this year.” Year 7 swimmer Anya Wang added, “It was my first trip overseas with Black Kites. The competition ran smoothly, and it was great to be able to compete against swimmers from various other international schools around Asia.”

Ms. Thompson, Mr. Burns, and Black Kites team cheering throughout the four days event.

Black Kites swimmers achieved many personal bests and rankings throughout the four-day event, with the Black Kites male swim team placing 12th in the overall rankings and the female swim team placing 17th. Black Kites Swim Team Captain Yannick Yeung (Year 12) placed 2nd in the 50m Freestyle with a time of 24.56, 3rd in the 1500m Freestyle with a time of 18:56.42, and 3rd in the 100m Freestyle with a time of 54.59. “I was proud of my results at Patana as I finished 2nd for my 50m freestyle and 3rd for 100m freestyle,” said Yannick. “This race was similar to Hong Kong races in that all the schools were international. I think a lot of sportsmanship and ethics were very similar to what we see in Hong Kong. After the races, you might see swimmers shaking hands or high-fiving each other and giving words of encouragement. This made the competition atmosphere a lot more friendly and welcoming.”

Another Black Kites swimmer, Hercules Ma (Year 8), finished 3rd in the 200m Butterfly with a time of 3:07.49, 2nd in the 50m Breaststroke with a time of 38.83, and 3rd in the 200m Freestyle with a time of 2:22.80.

From left to right: Yannick Yeung (Year 12) and Hercules Ma (Year 8) receive their medals

The Black Kites swimmers also finished top eight in multiple events and age categories ranging from:

  • 50m Breaststroke

  • 50m Butterfly

  • 50m Freestyle

  • 50m Backstroke

  • 100m Breaststroke

  • 100m Freestyle

  • 200m Breaststroke

  • 200m Butterfly

  • 200m Boys Medley Relay

  • Boys 4x50 Freestyle Relay

  • Mixed 4x50 Medley Relay

From Left to Right: Kal-el Chow (Year 11), Hercules Ma (Year 8), Bradley Tang (Year 7) and Giles Tang (Year 9) showed support of each other pre-race and post-race.

In addition to competing, the Black Kites swimmers and teachers explored local flavors at the Srinagarindra Train Night Market, where many tried fried insects for the first time—Mr. Molnar’s treat.

Many swimmers have continued to train hard after Patana, reaching new personal bests, and have shown interest in returning to the Bangkok Patana Feeding Frenzy in 2025. RCHK can expect many swimmers to break their records next year and hopefully return proudly bearing more medals. The Black Kites Swim Team looks forward to returning to the event in December 2025.

Renaissance College