Cheung Ka-long won a historic gold medal for Hong Kong in men’s individual foil at Tokyo Olympics 2020 on Monday—the city’s first gold after 25 years and the first-ever medal in fencing. Read on for everything you need to know about the Hong Kong athlete.
Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long's triumph at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is historic. Beating the defending champion Daniele Garozzo of Team Italy in the men’s individual foil final on Monday (July 26), the athlete’s win not only ended Hong Kong’s 25-year-wait for an Olympic gold medal, after Lee Lai-shan’s windsurfing gold in Atlanta in 1996, but also marked the city’s first medal in fencing and the fourth medal in history.
“I am extremely happy to receive the gold medal. It doesn’t feel real. It’s like a dream for me,” the 24-year-old said, who was ranked 19th in the world going into the Tokyo Games. “After winning, I told myself, I can’t get complacent. I’ll continue to work hard to bring glory to Hong Kong. I really hope that we can win another medal for the city in the upcoming men’s foil team event.”
Cheung’s success has sparked waves of joyful cheers among Hongkongers, with countless socialites and celebrities sending him congratulatory messages and blessings—but our hometown hero is no stranger to awards or recognition in the fencing world. Here, we’re listing five things you should know about the newly crowned Tokyo 2020 Olympic fencing champion, Cheung Ka-long.
See also: Hong Kong Fencer Cheung Ka-long Makes History With Olympic Gold Medal
He comes from an athletic family
The pursuit for greatness in sports runs in Cheung's blood. Born into an athletic family, he had inherited talents from his parents, who both played national league basketball in China and Hong Kong. Cheung’s dad was originally hoping to train his son to be a basketball star when he was young, but he soon discovered Cheung’s passion for fencing after taking him to a lesson. As a result of his hard work and support from the family, Cheung was able to gain exposure to large competitions, earning quite a lot of athletic achievements at a very young age.
See also: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Hong Kong Athletes You Should Know