The competition takes place in Nanjing, China from August 16 – 28 and will feature less than 400 athletes from around the world with several events on tap, from track and boxing to rowing and tennis.
But for Phuket-based swimmers Roxanne Yu, of British International School Phuket, and Tanakrit 'Nok' Kittiya, of Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club, the real battle will take place in the water.
“I'm very proud for Nok's achievement, this has been a goal of his since I started working with him,” said Thanyapura swimming coach Randy Simon. “Now we shift our focus to doing the best he can and represet Thailand well in the competition.”
The 17-year-old Bangkok-native, who started training full-time at Thanyapura's Elite Junior Sport Academy earlier this year, will represent Thailand in three events: the 200m butterfly, 800m as well as 200m freestyle.
“I feel very proud of myself to represent Thailand. It's an awesome feeling,” said Nok, who learned that he was selected by the national team during a phone call with his father.
The same feeling was shared by Roxanne Yu, who trains in the Koh Kaew-based BISP High Performance Academy and will swim for the Philippines as their lone aquatic representative.
“It's a bit scary. The country is also expecting a lot from you but right now we'll just see. I'm training hard and preparations are going through,” said the 17-year-old, who will compete in the 200m and 100m backstroke event.
Yu was part of the initial crop of youth swimmers when the High Performance Swim Academy began at BISP last August. Within a year, the HPSA has grown from five student-athletes to over 20 elite swimmers, many of which will join this coming year but only after they compete against Yu at next month's games. Her teammate, Jethro Chua, also qualified for the YOG but was not selected.
“This is a testament on how well the school assisted in combining their academics and the sporting endavors and aspirations to ensure that this is a conducive envrionment for student athletes,” said HPSA head swim coach Simon Jones.
In addition to Yu's selection, Jones was chosen to lead the Filipino national swim team – the first foreigner to be selected for the position. With Jones in her corner, Yu will have a familiar face as she takes on 12 of the world's elite youth swimmers in China.
“Having him there does help, he's there to guide and motivate me. It will be fun with him around,” she said.
Both Nok and Yu are no strangers to success in the water.
In November, Yu set the Filipino senior record for 200M backstroke (16.44 seconds) and has won medals at the Southeast Asian Age Group Championships and Queensland State Championships, among other competitions.
Nok, meanwhile, secured an astounding six medals at the 42nd Thailand National Games – including two gold – earlier this year.