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Unus Alladin

EXPERIENCE overcame youth when veteran foilist Jerome Ko defeated up-and-coming Fong Siu-yan to win the men's foil title at the Hong Kong Open Championships at Queen Elizabeth Stadium yesterday.

 Left-handed Ko, 33, a member of the Hong Kong squad at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, taught his 19-year-old rival a fencing lesson with a quick-fire 15-3 victory in the final.

 It was the second time Ko, one of the most respected fencers in the territory, lifted the open title since his victory in 1986 and he was delighted with his win.

 ''I'm a lot more experienced than Fong and a lot more cunning as well,'' quipped Ko.

 ''I've been trying to win this title since 1986 but I always found one too good. However, everything went right this time,'' said the fencer, whose victory was made easier by the absence of some of the territory's top fencers who are away training in Europe.

 ''The young fencers of today lack experience which is an important factor and that's why I was able to win,'' Ko said.

 Ko, who is the technical director of the Hong Kong Amateur Fencing Association, considers himself semi-retired and only practises the sport sporadically.

 But he proved he was much too strong for Fong, a member of the Hong Kong under-19 squad who will be travelling to Japan for the Asian Youth and Cadet Championships next month.

 Ko raced to a 5-0 lead before Fong registered his first hit and the veteran continued to parry and thrust with amazing accuracy.

 The bout was all over in 10 minutes and Ko said: ''Our style is quite different from the fencers of today so it was easier for me to win.''      Meanwhile, Shirley Cheung Suet-lai won the women's foil title when she defeated Cheung Yi-nei 15-13 in the final.



Veteran Ko foils teenager