FIE fencing Grand Prix: Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong could regain épée world No 1 spot, but coach says it’s not the priority
- Kong may overtake incumbent Song Se-ra of South Korea after weekend’s Grand Prix in Cali
- Cheung Ka-long and the Hong Kong men’s foil team head to World Cup in Mexico for their first event of the year-long 2024 Olympic qualification period
Hong Kong fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai could regain the épée world No 1 spot at this weekend’s Grand Prix in Cali, Colombia, but the city’s head coach Zheng Kangzhao has urged his charge to focus on performance, not rankings.
The 29-year-old sits second in the world but results in Cali could see her overtake top-ranked Song Se-ra of South Korea next week.
Kong was the first fencer from Hong Kong to reach the pinnacle of the rankings when she did so in 2019. The city’s Olympic gold medallist Cheung Ka-long also had a stint in the top spot, in the men’s foil last year.
But Zheng warned that the ranking would guarantee nothing, whereas performance would always remain important.
“Being world No 1 does not mean you won’t lose a bout,” Zheng said. “You can still lose in round one, which has happened many times before.
“All I ask is to keep your standard and perform to your best during competition, then the results will come. Vivian is a quality fencer and everybody knows that. She is also the leader of the team and her performance will affect her teammates, who are chasing an Olympic spot.”
Hong Kong has sent all of its best fencers to Cali. Kong, Chan Wai-ling, Coco Lin Yik-hei and Moonie Chu Ka-mong left for the South American city on Tuesday, while Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan will fly from the United States, where she is studying at the University of Notre Dame.
The women’s épée team are trying to earn direct entry to the 2024 Paris Olympics by being in the world’s top four. If they do not manage that, they have to compete for the Asian berth with whichever of South Korea, China and Japan have not already qualified. Only eight teams will make it to the Games.
South Korea are ranked No 1 in the world, followed in the region by China (fifth), Hong Kong (sixth) and Japan (15th). But since there is no team event in the grand prix, the fencers are competing only for individual rankings in Cali.
If they fail to qualify as a team, a nation or region can send a maximum of one fencer to the Olympics to take part in the individual event.
The year-long Olympic qualification window began last month but the first women’s épée team event is a fortnight away, when the World Cup series event takes place in Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates.
However, the men’s foil team begin their quest this weekend at the World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico. A squad of 10, headed by Cheung, will compete in team and individual events.
Hong Kong are sixth in their rankings, with Japan the region’s highest in third. South Korea are seventh and China 12th.
Cheung is their highest-ranked individual, in fourth, followed by Ryan Choi Chun-yin (21st), Yeung Chi-ka (58th), Lawrence Ng Lok-wang (61st) and Nicholas Choi (128th).
“There will be some very tough competition,” Zheng said. “It’s still a bit early to talk about qualification, but every team will be looking for a convincing start.”
