Cheung Ka-long survives tough test to defend Challenge Cups crown, admits world No 1 title ‘too stressful’
- The former world No 1 was back to winning ways over the weekend, but said he is happy to just win medals and not chase world ranking points
- The 25-year-old heads to Germany with his Hong Kong teammates in tow as they look to challenge the World Cup
After defending his title at the Challenge Cups Fencing Championships at Science Park on Sunday, foilist Cheung Ka-long hopes to start the new season with a medal at the World Cup in Bonn this week.
The 25-year-old was seeded first in the knockout stage after winning all of his group matches, and edged out Chiu Man-to 15-12 on his way to the Cups final.
There, the former world No 1 defeated Anson Lam Leong-ting 15-4 in the last-16, before brushing past Aaron Lee Yat-long with the same score in the quarter-finals.
Cheung’s real test came in the semi-finals against Olympic teammate Lawrence Ng Lok-wang, when he trailed 13-14 and had to hold his nerve to level the score and eventually win on the last point. His joy in victory was on full display.
“Lawrence fenced really well today,” Cheung said. “I rarely scream out loud, but I did today mainly because it was not an easy win, especially after recovering from illness. I screamed to tell myself that I managed it quite well under a difficult situation.”