Opportunity for Cheung to confirm his global standing
Hong Kong’s Olympic champion and world No 1 foilist is the one to beat at Incheon grand prix
Cheung Ka-long will have a target on his back when he leads Hong Kong into a fencing grand prix in South Korea today.
The new world No 1 foilist will be the one to beat in Incheon, in a strong field of more than 100 fencers at the two-day individual event. Offering more ranking points than a World Cup series event, it is an opportunity for Olympic gold medallist Cheung to consolidate his global position.
Last month, he topped the rankings after the World Cup series in Belgrade, having already won the Paris World Cup at the beginning of the year.
Now the challenge for the 24-year-old is to stay there.
“What he has to do next is keep his mind open, taking on different types of fencers and consolidating the skills he has learned from these encounters to become more consistent at the highest level,” Hong Kong head coach Zheng Kangzhao said. “The Incheon grand prix will provide such an opportunity.
“He is only 24, and the way he won the Olympic gold and the
Paris World Cup was world-class. Cheung has become a very comprehensive fencer, sharp in attack and tough in defending. He also has a strong physique that can keep him working all day long during competition.”
The Hong Kong team also features world No 7 Ryan Choi Chun-yin, Cheung Siu-lun, Lawrence Ng Lok-wang, Yeung Chi-ka, Nicholas Choi and Cheung Ngo-chun.
They will use the Incheon event to build towards the Asian Championships in Seoul in a month’s time. Cheung, Ryan Choi, Ng and Yeung will return to South Korea for that Asian event.
Zheng said their plans for the season had to be reconsidered following the postponement of September’s Asian Games in Hangzhou. “After the World Cup series and grand prix events, we have the Asian Championships and the World Championships, then we were supposed to have the Asian Games, which was our paramount target for the year,” the coach said.
“Now the Asian Games have been pushed back with no definite time frame, and the 2024 Olympic qualification will start in April next year. The earlier we know when the Asian Games will take place, the better, so that we can revise our plans.”
The Hong Kong women’s foil squad in Incheon features Valerie Cheng Hiu-wai, Kimberley Cheung, Kwan Yu-ching and Sophia Wu.
The women’s épée team, headed by world No 8 Vivian Kong Man-wai, will take part in a World Cup series event this weekend in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, while the men will do likewise in Heidenheim, Germany.