Tokyo Olympics: Cheung Ka-long on brink of history for Hong Kong as incredible charge to podium continues
- Cheung produces two of the finest performances of his career to book a semi-final spot at 2020 Games
- The 24-year-old will become Hong Kong’s first Olympic fencing medallist with another win
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Trailing throughout a thrilling quarter-final showdown in the individual foil against the Russian Olympic Committee’s Kirill Borodachev, Cheung fought back from the cliff-edge to seal a place in the last-four, and in doing so guaranteed a shot at an Olympic medal.
He will write his name into the history books as Hong Kong’s first Olympic fencing medallist if he prevails in his clash against Czech Republic’s Alexander Choupenitch when they take to the championship piste at 6.20pm (Hong Kong time).
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Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka-long clinches Olympic gold in historic win at Tokyo Games
The 24-year-old Cheung, so impressive all day, was uncharacteristically rash during the early part of an intense bout against Borodachev and ceded the momentum to his 21-year-old opponent.
He would never lead the bout until the final touch. The Hong Kong man was growing increasingly frustrated as the Russian repelled all of his attacks and picked him off on the counter attack consistently to move within one touch of the semi-finals at 10-14. But Cheung was not to be denied.
So began a heart-stopping three minutes – extended further for the Hong Kong team in the stands, whose nerves were already shredded, by an inopportune end-of-round break.
Cheung bullied his opponent back down the piste and methodically picked his defence apart to draw level. By that time the Russian was in full panic mode and was being repeatedly backed up as the rangy figure of Cheung descended on him with wave after wave of attack.