Hong Kong foilist Daphne Chan claims maiden Asian Fencing Championships bronze
Head coach Greg Koenig says all four members of women’s foiling team have reason to be proud of performances in India
Hong Kong foil head coach Greg Koenig said he was proud of all four team members after Daphne Chan Nok-sze won the city’s first women’s individual bronze medal at the Asian Championships.
The Frenchman also hoped the quartet could maintain the same level of performance and mentality for the team event, which begins on Monday.
Foilists Chan, Valerie Cheng Hiu-wai, Zareena Leung Yan-kiu, and Janelle Leung Ya-lei all reached the knockout stage of the individual competition.
An Asian Games bronze medallist in Hangzhou three years ago, Chan dispatched a pair of South Korean fencers, and advanced to the semi-final with a 15-12 win over Japanese foilist Sumire Suji, stopping Japan from occupying all four semi-final berths.
But a 15-8 loss to Sera Azuma, who had earlier eliminated Cheng in the quarter-finals, left the 21-year-old Chan finishing with a maiden third-place finish at the championships.
Azuma went on to lose 15-10 to compatriot Yuka Ueno in the final, with Komaki Kikuchi also ending the contest with a bronze medal.