Vivian Kong ‘ready to challenge’ elite fencers at World Cup series opener in Estonia
- World’s top 20 fencers, including Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Sun Yiwen and No 2-ranked Sera Song, will compete in Estonia this weekend
- Hong Kong will have several competitors looking to start the new season with a win, led by former world No 1 Vivian Kong
Former world No 1 Vivian Kong Man-wai is targeting a podium finish when she returns to her “lucky place” in Tallinn, Estonia this weekend for the opening round of the World Cup series.
Fresh from a four-month break and a runner-up finish at the Challenge Cups Fencing Championships in Hong Kong last weekend, the 28-year-old epeeist said she is “ready to challenge” all of the world’s top fencers at the place where she snatched her first World Cup silver medal in 2018, and a fifth-place finish in 2019.
“Yes, I’m ready for the new season, I have had enough of a break already,” Kong said. “I’m really looking forward to the first World Cup. I love Tallinn – this is where I competed for my two comeback matches after injury in 2018 and 2019.”
The Chinese University law student suffered two serious knee injuries between 2017 and 2019, snapping her left cruciate ligament in 2017 and her right anterior cruciate ligament in 2019 after losing to eventual winner Nathalie Moellhausen in the World Championships semi-finals.
Kong settled for bronze, marking a historic first medal for Hong Kong at the Worlds.
“I haven’t been there in three years because of the pandemic, so I’m hoping to do my best this year,” said Kong, who won her second gold in the regional championships in June.