As Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong hangs up her sword, experts say fresh fencing stars can emerge

Gold medallist to ‘take break’, as experts say prowess of city’s Olympic fencers built on ‘success of our predecessors’ on regional stage

Reading Time:5 minutes

Gold medallist and épéeist Vivian Kong says she will “take a break” from being a professional fencer after nearly 20 years in the sport. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:00pm, 4 Aug 2024Updated: 2:50pm, 5 Aug 2024

The seeds of Hong Kong’s historic success in fencing at the Paris Olympics were sowed decades ago through strategic planning and substantial investment in nurturing talent, experts said.

Gold medallist and épéeist Vivian Kong Man-wai said on Sunday that she planned to “take a break” from being a professional fencer after nearly 20 years in the sport, but veteran athletes predicted more stars would emerge as the city entered its “harvest period” and hoped authorities could build more facilities to better engage the public.

Kong and foilist Cheung Ka-long brought home two gold medals from the Paris Olympics, sending the city into a fencing frenzy again after Cheung won his first gold in Tokyo three years ago.

Both attributed their success to their predecessors, upon returning to the city after taking part in the Games.

“Our senior fellows have achieved great results despite having fewer resources compared with what we have now, this has provided our generation with ample resources to pursue our dreams,” Kong said as she returned to Hong Kong on Thursday.