Fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai again proved herself a force to be reckoned with at the highest level, clinching her second world cup title in a month following her success in Barcelona on Sunday morning.
Kong, who just celebrated her 25th birthday on Friday, beat world No 20 Lee Hye-in of South Korea 15-13 in the women’s epee final to put herself on top of the podium.
Just last month, Kong became the first fencer from Hong Kong to claim a world cup title after she won in the series in Havana, Cuba. Her world ranking also surged to number two, the highest of any Hong Kong fencer.
Vivian Kong wins the gold medal at the world cup. Photos: Facbook/FIE
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She now stands a good chance of moving along the ladder to the world’s top spot as number one Mara Navarri of Italy was again not able to perform in Barcelona after falling in the round of 16.
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Both fencers were exempted from the pool stage due to their world rankings and started in the round of 64, but the Italian, who is also the reigning world champion, was eliminated by Kelley Hurley of the United States in the knockout stage while Kong went all the way through to the final before removing the Korean for the title.
