Latest news with #CheungKa-long
South China Morning Post
24-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
New fencing star Ryan Choi gives Hong Kong a victory to savour
Hong Kong is revelling in a golden era for fencing, with one historic win after another. The sport has enjoyed a boom since Cheung Ka-long secured the city's first fencing Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021. Cheung repeated the feat at the Paris Games last year, where Vivian Kong Man-wai also won gold. Now there is a new star to celebrate. Advertisement Ryan Choi Chun-yin is the first Hong Kong fencer to be the world champion . He won the foil final in Georgia on Wednesday. It is an outstanding achievement. The victory has catapulted Choi to the world No 1 spot. The 27-year-old described it as a dream come true. His triumph should act as an inspiration, conveying a powerful message that you should keep believing in your ability and never give up. Choi was 'desperate' after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics and enduring a deeply disappointing run of results, including elimination in early rounds. He was on the verge of abandoning the rest of the season, but was persuaded to persevere by his coach. The fencer, to his great credit, has engineered a spectacular turnaround . He won the Shanghai Grand Prix in May and then the Asian Championships in Bali last month. The confidence gained from these victories propelled him to the world title. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui congratulated Choi, saying: 'We are thrilled.' His landmark win underscores the need for Hong Kong to keep its foot firmly on the accelerator as it seeks to build on recent sporting successes, ensuring elite athletes have sufficient funding, facilities and coaching. Choi sparked debate last year when he posted details of the expenses incurred by entry-level elite athletes when attending international tournaments. Support is needed for up and coming talent, not just those who have won top tournaments. Advertisement The future for fencing is bright and other sports can learn from it, notably the hiring of top coaches from overseas. The cycling team is following this example.
South China Morning Post
24-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Can Hong Kong's Olympic gold formula for fencing work again in cycling?
Hong Kong's elite cycling set-up has been revamped with the aim of copying the formula that turned the city's leading fencers into world-beaters. Advertisement A high-end recruitment policy that brought in best practices from farther afield helped to power Cheung Ka-long and Vivian Kong Man-wai to Olympic fencing glory last summer. Now, Hong Kong is applying the logic to velodromes and pelotons. The late-2023 exit of cycling head coach Shen Jinkang after 29 years in the post prompted a regime overhaul. Herve Dagorne, a two-time Olympian from France, was appointed as Shen's successor. New Zealander Anthony Peden has since become sprint coach, and Ben Kersten, from Australia, the road endurance coach. A common thread? Looking outside the previous sphere of influence for personnel and knowledge. Bradley McGee, an Olympic team pursuit gold medallist in 2004 with Australia, attended the Hong Kong International Track Cup on Monday and could be the next high-profile appointment. Octavian Zidaru celebrates with Vivian Kong after the Hongkonger claimed Olympic fencing gold. Photo: AP 'I will meet [McGee], along with Herve; [whether he joins] is not just about if we want to hire him, it's if he wants to live in the city,' Leung Hung-tak, chairman of the Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China, said.
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Cheung Ka-long ‘positive' on chasing Olympic three-peat in 2028 – but will manage body
Cheung Ka-long has given his clearest indication yet that he will attempt to become the first man to win three Olympic foil fencing golds in a row at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Advertisement Hong Kong's greatest Olympian, Cheung had previously voiced concerns over whether he could withstand four more years of training and competition. However, after claiming his fourth successive 'best of the best' honour at the Cathay 2024 Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards on Thursday, Cheung told the Post he was managing his body with a view to extending his extraordinary Olympic supremacy. The world championships in Tbilisi, Georgia in July is the next major competition in the 27-year-old's diary. He said he would be 'trying to win and not just playing around', but had realised he needed to pace himself to get through another Olympic cycle. Cheung Ka-long collects his prize at Thursday's Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards. Photo: Elson Li 'I am still going to train, but since the Olympics I have been more relaxed,' Cheung said. 'I have been quite tired for the past four years. I spoke to my coach [Greg Koenig] about it; I want to enjoy fencing and not push too hard. Advertisement 'We know another four years are coming and we have to fight one more time against the strongest opponents in the Olympics.'
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
WATCH LIVE: Cathay 2024 Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards ceremony
Winners of the Cathay 2024 Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards are being announced at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event is organised by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. Some 116 athletes, including swimmer Siobhan Haughey and fencer Cheung Ka-long, were nominated for honours being handed out on April 17, 2025. Advertisement Source: SF&OC
South China Morning Post
16-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong spent HK$823 million on its athletes in 2023-24. Here's where it went
Hong Kong Sports Institute on Wednesday released a report detailing its budget and achievements in 2023-24, revealing that it spent HK$822.9 million on training athletes. Advertisement The taxpayer-funded organisation's outlay supported 1,443 senior and junior athletes, 620 of whom it listed as being full-time, during a period when the city won 53 medals at the Asian Games. Hong Kong also collected 47 medals at the Asian Para Games, 12 at the World University Games and 33 at various world championships. According to the HKSI report, a breakdown of the HK$822.9 million included HK$176 million in payments to athletes under the 'direct financial support scheme' and HK$646.9 million for athletes' training programmes, sports science and medicine support, lifestyle provisions and education subsidies for the athletes. The Asian Games of 2023 were the city's best in terms of total medals won – albeit that it took 680 athletes, 100 more than went to the previous edition in 2018, and earned the same tally of eight gold medals. Siobhan Haughey was among Hong Kong's gold medallists at the Asian Games in 2023. Photo: AFP Topping the podium were Siobhan Haughey – twice – in swimming, fencer Cheung Ka-long, Taichi Kho in golf, men's rowers Lam San-tung and Wong Wai-chun, cyclist Yang Qianyu, the men's rugby sevens team and the men's bridge team.
