Hong Kong women’s épée fencing team qualifies for the Tokyo Olympics … thanks to South Korea
- South Korea reach the final of the Russian World Cup series in Kazan, pushing Hong Kong up the ranking list
- The result meant that Hong Kong’s top fencer Vivian Kong can join her teammates in Tokyo
Hong Kong women’s épée team were celebrating on Tuesday night after they qualified for the Tokyo Olympics thanks to their South Korean counterparts in an unusual gesture of goodwill and luck.
The Hong Kong team, who were at home and unable to compete because of the pandemic, were counting on the South Koreans to provide them the passage to Tokyo in the last qualification tournament in Kazan.
The Koreans did Hong Kong a huge favour by reaching the final of the Russia World Cup series, boosting them to the top four of the qualification campaign.
That meant Hong Kong became the third Asian team – a prerequisite to qualifying for Tokyo – to make it to the Games this summer.
The qualification rules state the top four teams can book their berth while the next-best ranked team from each zone (Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Oceania) will also qualify as long as they are ranked in the top 16. Hong Kong are ranked 14 in the standings despite not sending a team to Kazan due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Top Hong Kong women’s fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai was delighted with the result and immediately posted the good news on social media.
Former world number one Kong, who has already qualified in the individual épée because of her rankings, will now be joined by three more teammates to Tokyo for the team event.
Hong Kong fencers look to South Korea for a helping hand in Olympic quest
“I’m so proud of our team and happy for our coach Octavian Zidaru because he’s worked incredibly hard,” said the 27-year-old Kong, who won Hong Kong’s first-ever fencing world championships medal (bronze) in 2019 when she occupied the top spot for that season. “And counting down to the Olympics I will train and prepare as hard as I can to make Hong Kong proud.”
Hong Kong has never had a fencing team qualify for the Olympics since first sending two fencers to compete in individual events at the 1972 Munich Games. And now two out of the six disciplines Hong Kong team have will be eligible for the first time. The men’s foil team, spearheaded by Cheung Ka-long and Ryan Choi Chun-yin, made the qualification last year when they snatched bronze in the Cairo World Cup series with a thrilling 45-44 win over world number two France.
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With two team having qualified, Hong Kong can still strive for an individual spots in each of the four remaining disciplines. Only one fencer can represent Hong Kong in each discipline to contend for the only spot up for grab in each zone. In the women’s individual foil, Kimberley Cheung and Valerie Cheng Hiu-wai, who are currently in Doha for the foil Grand Prix, are competing for the sole place to represent Hong Kong in the zone qualifying tournament which will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan next month.
The Hong Kong Fencing Association will only send the highest ranking athlete in each discipline for the zone qualification. Cheung and Cheng are currently ranked 50 and 60 respectively and the result in Tashkent will decide who can represent Hong Kong in the last qualifying event.
