- Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called the defending champion ‘a source of great pride’, and Haughey became the city’s first athlete with three medals
Italy’s Filippo Macchi (left) competes against Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka-long in the men’s foil individual gold medal bout during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Grand Palais in Paris on July 29, 2024. Photo: AFPHong Kong fencer Cheung Ka-long delivered a flawless performance on Monday night at the Paris Olympics. He bagged a gold for the second consecutive Games, adding another chapter to Hong Kong’s increasingly impressive Olympic history.
The defending champion was taken to the wire by Italian Filipo Macchi, and at 14-12 down looked as though he would have to settle for silver. However, on a night filled with drama, when both men believed they had won at the death, it was Cheung who got the decisive touch to win 15-14.
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu said Cheung, who won his first gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, had become a “a source of great pride for the people of the city”. The 27-year-old called his achievement “the best moment of my life”.
And on another glorious evening for Hong Kong sport, Siobhan Haughey won bronze in the women’s 200m freestyle, becoming the only athlete from the city to have three Olympic medals to their name.
Haughey is among the favourites in the 100m freestyle, the final of which is on Wednesday, and could yet add another gold medal to the city’s tally.
Cheung may have one fewer overall than the swimming star, but he is first among equals, and joins an even rarer group than the one he inhabits with his fellow Hong Kong Olympic medallists.
Before Paris, only two men had ever successfully defended their Olympic foil titles: Italy’s Nedo Nadi was the first, winning at the 1912 Games in Stockholm then eight years later in Antwerp after a pause for the first world war.
Frenchman Christian d’Oriola won gold at the Helsinki Games in 1952 before retaining his title in Melbourne in 1956.
It is doubtful whether either occasion was as tense or nerve-racking as Cheung’s performance, and the 27-year-old put his supporters through the full gamut of emotions on day three of the Olympic Games.
In his final, Cheung came up against an opponent who took advantage of any hint of weakness. Not that Cheung has many, but he left enough gaps to keep the Italian in the contest.
The fact that at 14-14 both men thought they had won when scoring simultaneous touches on two separate occasions, only for Cheung to come out marginally ahead on the third such incident, did nothing to lower the tension levels in the Grand Palais.
Cheung’s roar of relief was in stark contrast with the Italian lying prone on the piste while his coach berated the judges.
Hongkonger Vivian Kong wins gold at the Paris Olympics, boosts fencing school sign-ups
“Of course, winning is a very great thing but losing is also a good experience for us,” Cheung said. “The career of an athlete is actually very short and it’s hard not to have this kind of tension in the future. It’s hard to have such an exciting event in the future, so every piece is important to me.
“For me, this is the best moment of my life. It’s a great day for me to be in France and win a gold medal. I have no regrets.”
Chief Executive Lee is on a six-day visit to the likes of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to explore further business opportunities for the city, but was still paying attention to events in Paris.
He called Vivian Kong Man-wai after her stunning win in the women’s épée on Saturday, and Cheung could well be getting a call of his own. But in the immediate aftermath, Lee put out a statement praising the fencer’s “excellence and perseverance”.
“After making history for the Hong Kong fencing team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, he has once again achieved a brilliant result with his great performance, winning a well-deserved gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games,” Lee said.
“His outstanding achievements are heartening and have become a source of pride for the people of Hong Kong.”
Haughey put in a sterling effort to finish third, and for a time threatened to pull off a shock, leading at the 150m mark, but her early advantage disappeared as Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus tore past her, locked in their own private race for gold.
The Hongkonger’s time of one minute, 54.55 seconds was slower than the 1:53.92 she posted to win silver in Tokyo three years ago, but even that, a personal best, would not have been enough against the Australians.
In the end O’Callaghan prevailed in an Olympic record 1:53.27, with Titmus taking silver in 1:53.81.
“I know that my competitors are much stronger this year, so I understand that it’s not easy to reach the podium, but I also believe in my own strength and I know how much effort I have put into my training in the past few years, so it’s very special,” Haughey said.
The 26-year-old was unaware that Cheung had won, and called the result “amazing – it is great for Hong Kong sports and for the city”.
She added: “This is just the beginning. We have a long Olympics journey and I am sure other Hong Kong athletes will do well. A lot of us are in finals or the top four and fighting for medals. I hope we keep the momentum going.”