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Kaylin Hsieh (left) and Chen Hailin in action during their last 16 bout at the President’s Cup Fencing Championships. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong fencer Kaylin Hsieh seals hat-trick of President’s Cup wins, targets spot at World Championships

  • Covid-19 travel restrictions meant Hsieh was unable to qualify for next week’s Asian Championships
  • Reigning NCAA gold medallist’s focus is now fixed on reaching July’s event in Cairo
Fencing

Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan completed a hat-trick of President’s Cup wins in the women’s épée event on Saturday, and said she hoped it would be enough to earn her a spot at the World Championships in July.

Travel restrictions have meant the reigning NCAA champion has not been able to qualify for the Asian Championships next week, and so a strong showing at Hong Kong Park Sports Centre was necessary to boost her credentials ahead of the more prestigious tournament in Cairo in July.

Hsieh breezed through the opening rounds and it was not until the last 16 that she had to up her game against the rangy Chen Hailin, the world under-17 bronze medallist.

Kaylin Hsieh (left) scores a point in her bout with Chen Hailin at the President’s Cup Fencing Championships. Photo: Nora Tam

In the absence of world No 11 Vivian Kong Man-wai and the city’s No 1 Coco Lin Yik-hei, Hsieh was expected to successfully defender her title, but Chen pushed her all the way.

The 6ft junior used her height and reach to battle back from 5-1 down to narrow Hsieh’s lead to 9-8, and it was only the defending champion’s aggressiveness that propelled her to the next round with a 15-9 win.

In the quarter-finals, Hsieh beat Nicole Wong Sze-yan 15-8, then defeated Sophia Fong-sum with the same score in the semis, while in the finals, Hsieh clinched gold by beating World Cup teammate Natalie Chan Wai-ling 15-10.

“This is a very important competition for me, especially because I’m competing for a World Championships spot,” Hsieh said. “This time, I’m primarily fighting for myself because I’m not sure if I have enough points for the World Championships.”

Moonie Chu Ka-mong (left) fights Chan Tsz-ching during an early round of the women’s épée at the President’s Cup Fencing Championships. Photo: Nora Tam

Because of Hong Kong’s strict travel restrictions, Hsieh, who studies in the United States, could not afford to travel to Hong Kong with a 21-day quarantine last year, so she missed two local tournaments, dropping her from the top four of the local rankings and ruling her out of the Asian Championships next week in Seoul.

“This should be my third Asian Championships, but it’s fine; I’ll stay home and cheer on my teammates,” Hsieh said.

Men’s foilist Cheung Siu-lun will also miss next week’s competition after rupturing an Achilles tendon at the Incheon Grand Prix in May, but the Hong Kong Olympian said the injury had not made him think about retiring.

Cheung, who was the oldest member of the city’s Tokyo Olympic squad last summer, said he was focusing on returning to the piste in September and ultimately “be with the team to fight for entries for the 2024 Paris Olympics”.

The 36-year-old will watch from the sidelines at the President’s Cup on Sunday, as Ryan Choi Chun-yin, Lawrence Ng Lok-wang, and Yeung Chi-ka, three Asian Championships foilists, fight for the men’s title before heading to join Olympic gold medallist Cheung Ka-Long in Seoul.

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