Hong Kong men’s foil team claims historic silver at Fencing World Championships

The Hong Kong men’s foil team has claimed a historic silver medal at the Fencing World Championships after narrowly losing 44-45 to world number-one Italy on home soil.

The team, consisting of Ryan Choi, Edgar Cheung, Harris Ho and Leung Chin-yu, reached the finals at the AsiaWorld-Expo for the first time on Tuesday after beating the US in a tight 45-43 semi-final match.

The Hong Kong team held as much as a six-point lead during the face-off against the reigning world champion Italy, but eventually lost the match in a thrilling decider as both sides tied 44-44.

This was the men’s foil team’s best result at the event, after the team bagged bronze at the World Championships in Milan in 2023.

Two-time Olympic champion Cheung said after the match that the narrow defeat was “regrettable,” but added that his team had demonstrated their quality.

“I am happy because our team’s fighting spirit has improved and we have consistently demonstrated what we are capable of doing,” he told broadcaster TVB in Cantonese.

He also sang the praises of 17-year-old Ho, adding that the younger generation of fencers gave new impetus to veterans like himself.

“He is on the final podium at the age of 17. I don’t know what I was doing when I was 17,” Cheung said of Ho.

Ho said he outdid himself on Tuesday and hoped to maintain his good form.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, who was at the AsiaWorld-Expo cheering for the Hong Kong fencers on Tuesday, congratulated the historic win.

“I am proud that they have made history by winning Hong Kong’s first-ever team silver medal at the Fencing World Championships,” Law said in a statement.

“I also hope that the Hong Kong China fencing team will continue to strive for excellence and achieve greater success at the 20th Asian Games this September,” she added. This year’s Asian Games will take place in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.