{"id":726,"date":"2025-03-20T08:30:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T08:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/?p=726"},"modified":"2025-03-25T15:59:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T15:59:04","slug":"alvin-ho-the-relentless-pursuit-of-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/alvin-ho-the-relentless-pursuit-of-speed\/","title":{"rendered":"Alvin Ho: the relentless pursuit of speed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

On the track, every second counts. For Alvin Ho, sprinting isn\u2019t just about speed \u2014 it\u2019s about proving himself.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At 22, he dreams of making the national team, but like many student athletes in Taiwan, he faces the challenge of balancing academics with elite training. As a student of physical education and sport sciences at National Taiwan Normal University, Alvin is carving his own path \u2014 one built on determination, discipline, and an unrelenting drive to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Alvin Ho (centre) bursts off the blocks in a sprint race. 13th April, 2018. Image: Alvin Ho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A start without expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike many top competitors, Alvin\u2019s journey into sprinting was not pre-planned. \u201cI joined my school\u2019s athletics team just to try it out \u2014 there were no tryouts, so I thought, why not?\u201d he recalls. But before he noticed it, he was drawn in by the challenge of personal achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI liked the sense of accomplishment from competing alone,\u201d he explains. \u201cIn team sports, your success depends on others, but in track and field, everything is up to you.\u201d What started as a casual decision quickly turned into a serious commitment. Now, every day revolves around training, recovery, and the pursuit of improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demands of training and competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training as a sprinter demands both physical endurance and mental resilience. For Alvin, every session is a test of speed, strength, and consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His daily routine consists of three hours of intensive training, combining sprints, resistance drills, and explosive strength exercises. \u201cIf you stop, you fall behind,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating, but you have no choice but to keep pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sprint training isn\u2019t just about running \u2014 it\u2019s a balance of power and precision. Some days focus on acceleration drills, while others are dedicated to weight training, building explosive power through Olympic lifts like snatches and power cleans. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about running fast, it\u2019s about training your body to generate speed efficiently,\u201d Alvin explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With such an intense schedule, recovery is just as important as the workout itself. But injuries are an unavoidable part of competition. \u201cThere\u2019s no real way to accept it. You just keep going,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can\u2019t afford to let the gap between you and others get too big.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure to stay in peak condition is relentless, but Alvin embraces the challenge. For him, every training session is another step toward his ultimate goal \u2014 reaching the national stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taiwan\u2019s sports culture: A system for the elite?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alvin\u2019s experiences highlight some of the challenges student athletes face in Taiwan\u2019s sports system. \u201cTaiwan supports sports, but mostly for those at the top,\u201d he says. \u201cA lot of resources go to elite athletes, but those still developing often don\u2019t get enough support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area he believes could improve is the coaching approach. \u201cCoaches here don\u2019t always encourage open discussions,\u201d he explains. \u201cSometimes, athletes have questions about their training or technique, but because of respect or pride, coaches don\u2019t always take feedback well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also sees a need for a shift in training methods. \u201cMany Taiwanese coaches focus too much on endurance rather than adjusting technique,\u201d Alvin notes. \u201cIt leads to athletes blindly following training programs instead of thinking critically about how to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic. He believes that small changes \u2014 like fostering better communication between athletes and coaches \u2014 could have a big impact on Taiwan\u2019s athletic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road ahead: Chasing a national dream<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the obstacles, Alvin remains focused on his goal: making the national team. \u201cI hope to compete at an international level one day,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the dream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond his own ambitions, he hopes Taiwan\u2019s sports culture will continue to improve. \u201cIf there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d change, it\u2019s making coaching more open-minded,\u201d he says. \u201cAthletes should be encouraged to think critically, not just follow orders. That\u2019s how real progress happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Alvin remains focused on training, improving, and closing the gap between where he is and where he wants to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the track and in life, Alvin Ho refuses to slow down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the track, every second counts. For Alvin Ho, sprinting isn\u2019t just about speed \u2014 it\u2019s about proving himself. At 22, he dreams of making the national team, but like many student athletes in Taiwan, he faces the challenge of balancing academics with elite training. As a student of physical education and sport sciences at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":246,"featured_media":727,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"page-with-sidebar","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,19],"tags":[78,80,81,82,77,28,79,61],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-sports","tag-athletes","tag-national-taiwan-normal-university","tag-physical-education","tag-sport-sciences","tag-student-athletes","tag-students","tag-taiwan","tag-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/246"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1299,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions\/1299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccs-journalism.gold.ac.uk\/wp\/pacmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}