HK Wins Bronze at 2023 Fencing World Championships: Men's Team Foil

With the 2023 World Fencing Championships wrapping up on July 30, the Hong Kong Men’s Foil Team has etched their names in the annals of fencing history by winning their first-ever Bronze Medal at the World Fencing Championships. From 22–30 July 2023, over 1000 fencers from around the world gathered for the competition held in Milan, Italy, with Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying points on the line.

This is the only World Championships to fall in the International Fencing Federation (FIE)'s Olympic qualifying ranking window, which began on April 3 2023 and runs until April 1 2024.

The Hong Kong Men’s Foil Team, which consists of Cheung Ka Long, Ryan Choi, Yeung Chi Ka and Leung Chin Yu, competed with worldclass fencing teams during the championships. They first beat the Indian Team and Great Britain Team on the knockout rounds of 16 and 32.

The team then faced off against Home Team Italy, the second-ranked team in the World Fencing Records, in the quarterfinals. Despite the odds, the Hong Kong Team fought hardly and secured their place in the semifinals. However, their journey to the finals was cut short by Japan, the third-ranked team in the world, leading them to compete in the Bronze Medal Battle.

In the Bronze Medal Battle, the Hong Kong Team put up a fierce fight in the Bronze Medal Battle against the United States, the top-ranked team in the World Fencing Records. Ryan Choi kicked off the first battle with Alexander Massialas and unfortunately lost the first round by 0:5.

Cheung Ka Long then stepped up to the plate and battled Gerek Meinhardt, bringing the team back with a score of 10:4. The match was tense, with both teams taking turns to lead in the following rounds. However, Leung Chin-Yu seized the moment in the seventh round and extended the team's lead to 35:25 against Miles Chamley-Watson.

Ryan Choi furthered the lead, and Cheung Ka Long led the team to victory in the final round, making the team earn Hong Kong’s first Bronze Medal in the Fencing World Championship by a score of 45:31.

This remarkable achievement not only boosts the team's confidence heading into the Hangzhou Asian Championships in September, but also spells a more advantageous position for the qualification of the 2024 Paris Olympics.