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.”
