National Games: Vivian Kong Man-wai claims bronze after beating reigning Olympic champion Sun Yiwen in play-off

The 27-year-old seals a 15-14 win over world number two Sun after crashing out of semi-final

Kong in with another medal shot in team épée event on Wednesday, while men’s entrant Fong loses in group stage

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Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong Man-wai against Sun Yiwen of China in the team épée at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the Makuhari Messe Hall in July. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:54pm, 21 Sep 2021Updated: 10:50pm, 21 Sep 2021

Hong Kong’s star épée fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai clinched bronze at the National Games after beating reigning Olympic champion Sun Yiwen 15-14 in the women’s individual event in Tianjin on Tuesday.

World number six-ranked Kong piled the pressure on Sun, ranked four places above her, in a razor-thin bronze play-off contest to clinch the city’s sixth medal of the Games.

The 27-year-old Kong lost to in-form Lin Sheng 11-15 in the semi-final. Fujian representative Lin – a 2019 team world champion – shocked Shandong star Sun in the previous round.

Kong won five of her six preliminary matches in the morning, comfortably beating Huang Yihuan of Shanghai on the way to the knockout stages.

Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong Man-wai in the individual épée round of 16 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan in July. Photo: AP

She overcame Jiangsu fencer Xu in the round of 32 and defeated her Hong Kong teammate Debbie Ho Tik-lam in the last-16, winning both bouts 15-6.