Tokyo Olympics: disappointment for Hong Kong as fencers Kaylin Hsieh and Coco Lin are dumped out in round one
- Youngster Hsieh is well beaten by Russia’s Aizanat Murtazaeva
- Faulty equipment throws Lin off rhythm in defeat to Singapore’s Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman
Hong Kong’s Olympic fencing hopes took a big hit on Saturday when top prospect Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan and Coco Lin Yik-hei were both eliminated in round one at the Makuhari Messe Hall.
Hsieh, considered by some in Hong Kong fencing circles to be a dark horse to go deep in the épée individual event despite her low seeding, was well beaten by Russia’s Aizanat Murtazaeva 14-7.
Lin’s bout was a closer affair, but after initially going 2-0 in front was pegged back and then was always chasing against the bottom seeded Singaporean Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman, who is ranked 207 in the world.
Hsieh endured a horror start and, after trailing 0-3 at the end of the first round, fell 0-5 behind in the second. She said she was always chasing the bout from that point.
“I just felt like I had to change quicker, meaning that if I’m behind a few points, I should act faster,” Hsieh said. “Losing 0-5 was too much for me to recover … I have to recover earlier so that I won’t have to end up in the spot that I was just in.”
Hsieh, a former Youth Olympics silver medallist, was the aggressor for much of the bout, but acknowledged her attacking instincts often left her open to Murtazaeva’s counter-attacks.