Fencer Vivian Kong ready to reclaim world No 1 ranking after lifting Hong Kong Open épée title
- The 27-year-old clinched the domestic crown in her first competitive appearance at home in more than three years, beating Hong Kong teammate Coco Lin in the final
- The world number six is set to kick off her international season in January with a Grand Prix tournament in Doha, leading up to July’s World Championships
Vivian Kong Man-wai has set her sights on regaining the world number one ranking as she kicked off the new season with a bang at the 2021 Blue Cross Insurance Hong Kong Open on Saturday.
The Tokyo Olympian defeated fellow Hong Kong team member Coco Lin Yik-hei 15-12 in the women’s épée final at AsiaWorld Expo in Chap Lap Kok, her first event in Hong Kong in more than three years.
Kong became the first Hong Kong fencer to win a World Cup title – in Havana, Cuba in January 2019 – and two months later she surged to the top of the world rankings. She closed the season with a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Budapest, another first for a Hong Kong fencer.
“My target will be regaining the world number one spot in the new season which will kick off in January,” said the 27-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic last summer. “Of course, to achieve that I have to do well in all the major events including next year’s World Championships, for which I hope to get a better result than in 2019.
“Winning here in Hong Kong is a perfect start, also because the event has been moved to a such a grand venue with a set-up similar to that of the World Cup. I hope this is a good start for the new season.”
Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong beats Olympic champion Sun for bronze
It was an emotional victory for Kong on Saturday because it took place at the same venue where she lost the 2017 Asian title against South Korea’s Kang Young-mi in a drama-filled final. Kong led 12-8 and needed one point for the title but she allowed her opponent to fight back and, to the disbelief of home fans, eventually lost 13-12.
The world number six can now look forward to resuming her international career, with the added bonus of being free of the injury problems that plagued her over the past few years.
Kong suffered two cruciate ligament injuries and then had meniscus problems, but is now fully recovered and is ready for fresh challenges at the highest level.
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The new women’s épée season will begin with a Grand Prix in Doha in January, followed by the World Cup in Barcelona and another Grand Prix in Budapest. The next World Cup will be in Chengdu, China before fencers head to a Grand Prix in Cali, the last World Cup in Doha and finally the World Championships in Cairo in July.
Runner-up Lin was leading 7-5 after the first period, but Kong came back strongly in the next two three-minute sessions to complete her mission.
“She is very strong in attack and also very experienced with her vast international exposure. Once she got off to attacking mode, she was very difficult to handle,” said the silver medallist. “I have never beaten her, which means I still have to work hard even if I thought I did better than before.”
Lin’s main aim for the new season is joining Kong in the Hong Kong team for the 2022 Asian Games and the World Championships, which will be decided by local rankings if they are not among the world’s top 32.
She is likely to overtake Moonie Chu Ka-mong at the top of the Hong Kong ranking after the latter crashed out in the round of 16 on Saturday. “I am not too worried about my local ranking but can still afford losing today,” said Chu. “There will be another local event next month and hopefully I can make up for my loss.”
In the men’s épée, Fong Hoi-sun defeated Fenton Shum Lai-hin 15-4 in the final to claim the title.
