Cheung Ka-long says world No 1 ranking a ‘dream come true’ – promises to live up to a flood of local support
- The 24-year-old began the 2021-2022 season ranked fourth after claiming 96 winner’s points at the Games last summer
- More than 400 people posted messages of support and congratulations on his social media, with one thank him for ‘inspiring young athletes’
Tokyo Olympic champion Cheung Ka-long has called his new world No 1 ranking “a dream come true” and promises to live up to the support at the Plovdiv World Cup on April 29.
After finishing fifth in the men’s individual foil at the Belgrade World Cup on Sunday, the Tokyo Olympic champion became Hong Kong’s first foil world No 1 with a total of 200 ranking points, replacing Italian Alessio Foconi atop the global rankings.
The 24-year-old fencing sensation wrote on his social media that one of his goals after the Tokyo Olympics was to become the world No 1.
“I am very happy and honoured to be the world No 1 after the World Cup in Belgrade,” Cheung wrote. “I would like to thank my team, coaches, and teammates, my parents and family, Hong Kong people and other friends for their support and love, which has made my childhood dream come true.”
“I hope that I can give my best in every race in my fencing career and achieve good results to live up to the support I have received from everyone,” Cheung wrote.
More than 400 people posted messages of support and congratulations on his social media with one saying, “thank you for bringing so many surprises to the people of Hong Kong.”
“I hope you can continue to work hard, to be a good role model to inspire other young athletes,” another fan said.