Hong Kong men’s foil team sets sights on Olympic medal in Tokyo
- Even though the Hong Kong team haven’t had much competition owing to the pandemic, newly crowned President’s Cup champion says it won’t affect their chances in Tokyo
- There are only eight teams competing in the Olympics, meaning Hong Kong could win a team medal if they win two bouts
Cheung has become a key member of the squad since making his debut in Rio five years ago and helped Hong Kong gain a first team ticket to the Olympics.
“There are only eight teams in the Olympic Games and our sights are firmly set on reaching the medal podium,” said 23-year-old Cheung, who won the individual foil title at Hong Kong Park Sports Centre on Sunday by beating Lawrence Ng Lok-wang 15-9 in the final.
“We have already proven during the qualification campaign that we can beat some of the best teams in the world who we will meet again on the Olympic stage. Yes, we haven’t competed in the team event since we won qualification in the World Cup series in Egypt [early last year] but we have been working together for so many years and it won’t take too long before we can get regain our form as a team.”
Both Cheung and Ng are members of the Olympic quartet also featuring Ryan Choi Chun-yin and veteran Cheung Siu-lun. A victory in the first round in Tokyo will put them in the semi-finals where they could compete for a medal.
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Also 23, Choi is the highest ranked player in the team with a world ranking of eight, while Cheung Ka-long is ranked 19th. Another Cheung, the 2018 Asian champion, is 62nd while 19-year-old Ng is outside the top 100, ranked 127th. Choi and the two Cheungs will also feature in the individual event.
“There are less than two months to go before the Tokyo Games start and we will need to have more team competition simulation during training,” said Choi.
“We need to produce the same chemistry that helped us book our Tokyo ticket so that we can mount a serious medal challenge. It won’t be too difficult to get the feeling back and that’s why we have set our sights on a medal.”
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The team also welcomed the return of Nicholas Choi to the squad after the 2018 Asian Games silver medallist quit the sport following his Jakarta medal success.
“He is a quality fencer and although he has yet to recover his best form because of a lack of physical fitness, he can bring a lot to the team during this final build-up period for the Games,” said champion Cheung. “Of course Choi could be a valuable member for the next Olympic Games in Paris.”
To enhance their medal hopes, the team have hired a new coach from Italy. Mauricio Zomparelli will help Frenchman Greg Koenig, who has been leading the team since the beginning of the Olympic qualification campaign in 2019.
“He helps a lot in improving our fitness programme so that we can be fully prepared for the Olympic Games,” said Choi.
