Paris Olympics: Vivian Kong wants closest friends to stop her getting too big for her boots
- The 30-year-old gold medallist will sink bulk of her HK$6m reward into a charity, with the rest on presents for friends, family and coaches
Vivian Kong Man-wai has told her closest friends to “keep me in check” if they suspect Hong Kong’s newest Olympic star is getting too big for her boots.
The chances of Paris épée gold medallist Kong – widely regarded as among the most grounded people you will encounter – developing an inflated ego are next to zero.
The 30-year-old vowed to sink a generous portion of her HK$6 million (US$768,000) bounty from the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) into launching a charity. The rest of the cash, which HKJC is handing out to gold medallists from the city, will be spent on “presents for my friends, family and coaches”.
“It is better than the lai see,” Kong joked.
Kong had slept only “two-to-three hours” on each of the two nights after she roared back from 7-1 down to stun home fighter Auriane Mallo 13-12 in a classic final on the Grand Palais piste.
Talking at Monday’s Champions Parade in the iconic Trocadero Gardens in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Kong revealed she had devoted the previous 48 hours to her friends who had travelled from Hong Kong to cheer her on.