Road to 2024 Paris Olympics: Hong Kong and China to battle it out in women’s épée qualification campaign
- Hong Kong will be led by world No 2 Vivian Kong while reigning Olympic gold medallist Sun Yiwen will guide China
- With South Korea expected to take one of the two places on offer, the battle to be second for the region is expected to be intense
Fencers from Hong Kong and China begin their bids in April to qualify for the women’s épée at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it could come down to a straight fight between the two teams.
Only eight teams will feature at the Games in France, with the world’s top four being joined by the next four top-ranked teams from Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Oceania.
Asian fencers have traditionally dominated the discipline, with three teams from the region, China, South Korea and Hong Kong, all reaching the previous Olympics in Japan.
In Tokyo, Sun Yiwen of China clinched the individual gold medal, while South Korea snatched a team silver after losing to Estonia in the final. China came fourth after losing to Italy in the bronze-medal match, while Hong Kong finished seventh.
“It will probably be a similar qualification situation for the Paris Olympics with three Asian teams competing for the sports,” Wong Tsan, a former vice-president of the Hong Kong Fencing Association, said.
“South Korea have a number of quality fencers and have dominated the world stage after the Tokyo Olympics. They are the reigning world champions and are the favourites of course.