Fencing World Championships: Vivian Kong wins battle of Hong Kong with Kaylin Hsieh, but misses medal and loses world No 1 ranking
- Kong defeats her Hong Kong teammate Hsieh in the women’s épée competition in Milan
- But Kong’s podium hopes end in the quarter-finals as she loses to Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist – and slips to world No 2
Vivian Kong Man-wai’s dream of winning a medal for Hong Kong at the World Championships was crushed as she lost in the quarter-finals of the women’s épée.
And Kong suffered the added disappointment of losing her world No 1 ranking as a result, having gone into the championships in Milan with high hopes of victory after bronze medals in the two most recent editions.
The 29-year-old went through three rounds from the last 64, having been exempted from the pool stage as a seeded player, and earned a 13-10 victory over compatriot Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan in the round of 16.
But in her quarter-final on Tuesday night, Kong bowed out to Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Mara Navarria of Italy. The 38-year-old won 15-13 before losing 15-14 to compatriot Alberta Santuccio in the semi-finals.
Also reaching the semis was Sun Yiwen of China, the Olympic champion. She ultimately lost 14-10 to France’s Marie-Florence Candassamy, who went on to take the title – and Kong’s No 1 spot – with a 14-10 victory over Santuccio.
In the men’s sabre, Aaron Ho Sze-long of Hong Kong achieved his best result at the championships by reaching the round of 16, before losing 15-12 to Ha Han-sol of South Korea.
