Epeeist Vivian Kong and teammates improving but far from world-beaters, coach says, as they prepare for Barcelona World Cup event
- World number seven Kong will be hoping for a better performance in Spain after losing in the round of 32 at the Doha Grand Prix last month
- The Hong Kong team will be based overseas for at least two more months as they prepare for the Asian and World Championships as well as the Asian Games
Head fencing coach Zhang Kangzhou said leading epeeist Vivian Kong Man-wai and her teammates have some way to go before being ready to challenge the world’s best as they prepare for the World Cup series in Barcelona this weekend.
Led by top fencer Kong, the women’s team struggled at the Doha Grand Prix last month, their first overseas assignment of the season after the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“It may take some time before they can settle down again to take on the world’s best,” the coach said. “They should now be in a better position after completing their first tournament and getting used to the conditions in Europe. We now look forward to more stable performances from the fencers, especially for Kong.”
Ranked seventh in the world, Kong lost in the round of 32 in Doha to finish 17th overall with Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan the next best Hong Kong finisher at 29th.
Coco Lin Yik-hei was 83rd, followed by Moonie Chu Ka-mong in 86th. The quartet represented Hong Kong at last summer’s Tokyo Olympic where they finished seventh in the team competition, with Kong reaching the quarter-finals in the individual event.
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The épée team left Hong Kong last month to kick off a month-long overseas training and competition stint to avoid air travel restrictions and quarantine requirements at home.
They trained in Barcelona after the Doha tournament and are using the Spanish city as their base for the next couple of months before returning to prepare for the Asian Championships in South Korea in June. This will be followed by the World Championships in Cairo in July and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Kong was the Barcelona World Cup champion in 2019 and the 28-year-old, who was ranked number one in the world that year, has vowed to regain top position in the new season but coach Zhang said his fencer still had a long way to go.
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“The world number one can lose to anybody while the world number 30 can become a World Cup champion. It doesn’t mean you won’t lose any bout if you are the world number one,” the coach said.
“What we want from Kong is some consistent performances at the highest level so that she can become a fencer who is feared by her opponents. The lengthy overseas training camp and competitions should help Kong as we are looking for a more matured fencer from her.
“After all, our primary target for the year would be the Asian Games in September. We won two bronze medals in Jakarta four years ago and will target a better result this time.”
Kong sealed joint third at the last Asia Games while the épée team also earned a bronze, behind champions China and runners-up South Korea. All three teams qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and it will be another fierce battle among the trio when they meet again in Hangzhou later this year.
