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Header image courtesy of Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
It’s time to break out the Champagne! Our city witnessed an iconic moment in Hong Kong’s sports history just last night—24-year-old fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long won Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medal in 25 years, cinching a win in the individual men’s foil (that’s one of the three weapons used in fencing, for those not well-versed in the sport).
Cheung accomplished the awe-inspiring 15–11 gold medal feat after beating out the reigning gold medallist of the 2016 Rio Olympics—28-year-old Daniele Garozzo from Italy. Prior to this, he shocked the world by beating the current number one foil fencer in the world—Alessio Foconi from Italy—in the table of 16 match.
Before his well-deserved golden moment at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Cheung has already earned several prestigious accolades, including being named “Hong Kong’s Most Promising Young Athlete” at the Samsung Hong Kong Sports Star Awards Ceremony in 2013, and “Outstanding Junior Athlete” by the Hong Kong Sports Institute in 2014. Cheung’s potential further exploded in 2016 after securing gold at the Wuxi Asian Fencing Championships.
A former student of Ying Wa College and Lam Tai Fai College, Cheung now has over 264,000 followers on Instagram—a number that has grown exponentially overnight—and Hongkongers have shown their wholehearted support by flooding his page with congratulatory messages.
As seen from Hong Kong’s collective joy after his win, the city is incredibly proud of Cheung, not just for his skill, but also for his composure and his humility, even after winning the gold.
In his post-match interview with the media, Cheung shared his message to the public—be persistent and do not give up easily. Cheung’s hard work has certainly paid off, and we will look forward to seeing him again on our screens with his teammates this Sunday, 1 August, in the men’s foil team matches.
Win or lose, one thing remains certain—the city has got his back.
As someone who grew up speaking three languages at home and another two at school, Shania is an avid language learner with a passion for creative writing, music, film, and television. If she’s not out with her friends and family, you will most likely find her at home doting on her two tortoises, watching the latest K-drama sensation on Netflix, or typing away on a new story.
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