Paris Olympics|"Fencing God" Cheung Ka Long shines at Olympics again

Author︰Huang Haoyi

Ouvrons Grand les Jeux, Games wide open!

The highly anticipated Paris Olympics is held from July 26 to August 11.

The "Our China Story" website has specially launched a Paris Olympics special series, capturing every splendid moment and sharing interesting stories of it.

This article tells the story of Hong Kong's "Fencing God" Edgar Cheung Ka Long (張家朗), who has just successfully defended his championship at the Paris Olympics.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, 24-year-old Cheung Ka Long won the men's foil gold, giving Hong Kong its second gold medal after the first one by Lee Lai Shan in the 1996 Olympics. 

Cheung's success was no fluke. Back in April 2016, he was already the champion of the 2016 Asian Fencing Championships. Since then, he always had his sights set on the Olympics.

Cheung Ka Long fell in love with fencing

Standing at 193cm tall, Cheung Ka Long was exposed to basketball from a young age since his parents were both basketball players in the 1980s.

However, after learning fencing during the summer of his fourth grade, he found the movements of fencing very intriguing, and he relished the challenges of the tactical application, stamina, and speed that the sport presented.

With the approval of his parents, Cheung Ka Long dedicated himself to fencing.

In just a few years, he made rapid progress, deciding to drop out of school in his fourth grade and become a full-time athlete.

After sweeping four gold medals in the Asian Youth Fencing Championship in 2014, Cheung made his way to the Hong Kong team. In September of the same year, he won a men's foil team bronze medal at the Asian Games in South Korea.

In 2015, he once again fought for the bronze medal in the individual event at the Asian Games, performing remarkably well.

當代中國-運動健兒-19歲奪亞洲花劍冠軍 張家朗由「少年劍神」到奧運金牌得主
Cheung Ka Long has often publicly expressed his gratitude for his parents' permission for him to choose to be a professional athlete at a young age. (Web Image)

Cheung Ka Long became the first Hong Kong champion

當代中國-運動健兒-19歲奪亞洲花劍冠軍 張家朗由「少年劍神」到奧運金牌得主
In 2016, Cheung Ka Long won the gold medal at the Asian Fencing Championships, becoming Hong Kong's first-ever Asian champion. (Image Source: Hong Kong Team)

In 2016, Cheung Ka Long showcased his dominance in the games of the Asian Fencing Championships. The then 19-year-old successively defeated the Korean Asian Games champion Heo Jun, the Japanese World champion Yuki Ota, the Chinese Olympic gold medallist Lei Sheng (雷聲), and the Japanese World junior champion Takahiro Shikine, claiming the individual gold medal and becoming the Asian champion — the first ever for Hong Kong at the Asian Games.

What impressed Cheung Ka Long most about that competition was the moment when he was significantly behind during the finals and just one point away from losing.

However, he withstood the pressure with calm strike. When drawing level, he finally dared to assertively attack, and eventually succeeded in turning the game around.

Cheung Ka Long was referred to as the "Young Fencing God" by the Hong Kong media, but he remained humble and aimed for higher goals, specifically the goal of becoming an Olympic champion.

Cheung Ka Long won the second Olympic gold for HK

當代中國-運動健兒-19歲奪亞洲花劍冠軍 張家朗由「少年劍神」到奧運金牌得主
Cheung Ka Long once had some days of self-doubt before the Tokyo Olympics. Fortunately, he broke through his psychological barrier, and won the second Olympic gold medal for Hong Kong. (Image Source: Getty)

In 2016, Cheung Ka Long qualified for the Olympics for the first time but unfortunately was eliminated in the round of 16, which encouraged him to further develop his strength, speed, skill, footwork, and competition strategies, in hopes of winning an Olympic medal for Hong Kong in fencing.

With continuous improvement in both will and skill, he claimed gold at the World Junior & Cadet Fencing Championships, and also won the Asian Championships runner-up and World Cup third place in 2017.

It may seem like a smooth ride, but there have been dark days. Before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Cheung Ka Long had some unsteady days causing doubt in himself.

"My ranking dropped out of the top 16. I questioned whether I deserved to be in the top 16. I hesitated for a long time, tried different methods, and discussed with my coach about what mindset I should have for the games."

當代中國-運動健兒-19歲奪亞洲花劍冠軍 張家朗由「少年劍神」到奧運金牌得主
"There is no way to retreat. I can only go forward and fight with my best in each strike," said Cheung Ka Long (second from left). (Image Source: Getty)

Read more: Counting each of Hong Kong's Olympic medallists

Hard work always pays off. When Cheung Ka Long finally defeated the reigning champion in the finals of the Tokyo Olympics and won the Olympic gold medal, he removed the mask and his face was filled with disbelief.

From doubting whether he could step on the podium, to defeating his rivals step by step to achieve his dream of becoming the champion, Cheung Ka Long described the whole process as very surreal.

After the game, he also encouraged everyone to "persevere and not give up too easily." This is a timeless truth for both athletes and ordinary people like you and me.

當代中國-運動健兒-19歲奪亞洲花劍冠軍 張家朗由「少年劍神」到奧運金牌得主
In January 2022, Cheung Ka Long (second from left) won his first World Cup gold medal. (Image Source: International Fencing Federation FB)

The upcoming Paris Olympics will be Cheung Ka Long's third time participating in the Olympics.

Unlike the last time, he is participating this time as a reigning champion, and being both a challenger and a hypothetical rival to others inevitably brings more pressure on him.

Cheung Ka Long said, looking back at his previous participation in the Olympic, he was a bit nervous in the first one, not so much in the second, and this year's mood is more or less the same.

About defending his title, Cheung Ka Long believes it is necessary to face it with equanimity, "I think it's a good thing to be able to defend the title, but what's more important is to live up to my daily training, my coach's guidance, and deliver my potential performance."

Cheung Ka Long hopes to enjoy the competition and feels that winning the championship at the 2024 FIE Fencing Grand Prix Foil in Shanghai before the Olympics has successfully boosted his confidence.

Hope that Cheung Ka Long will continue to create history and bring glory to Hong Kong!

Read more: Paris Olympics 2024|Chen Yuxi: determined to win the Diving Championship

Read more: Paris Olympics 2024|Can Fan Zhendong fulfil the "Grand Slam" dream?

Wheelchair badminton player Chan Ho Yuen became  the silver medalist in the men's WH2 singles event at the Paris Paralympics.

Story of world's No.2 wheelchair badminton player Chan Ho Yuen

Hong Kong fencer Vivian Kong Man Wai at the Paris Olympics

Paris Olympics|5 must-knows about "Fencing Queen" Vivian Kong

Paris Olympics|Sun Yingsha: I want to become a "Big Devil"

Paris Olympics|Table tennis icon Ma Long facing final dance?

Paris Olympics|Can Fan Zhendong fulfil the "Grand Slam" dream?

Chen Yuxi

Paris Olympics|Chen Yuxi: Determined to win the diving championship

Hero of the Times

Wang Fuzhou, the first Chinese who summited Mount Everest

Prominent Figure

Wu Chuanyu: The first Olympic athlete of New China

Innovation Pioneer

Wang Chuanfu of BYD

BYD's founder Wang Chuanfu: Two people changed his whole life

Little Big Story

Uncover history with cutting-edge archaeological technology

Athletes

So Wa Wai

So Wa Wai, a five-time world record breaker in Paralympics

Editor's Picks
Hotspots for watching Blue Tears in the Greater Bay Area

"Blue tears" bloom: 3 best spots you can't miss in GBA cities

Xichong's Fireflies in Shenzhen

Visit Xichong in Shenzhen to experience the stunning light show of fireflies

Shenzhen OCT Phoenix Flower Carnival

Shenzhen Travel|The OCT Phoenix Flower Carnival of Shenzhen opens

Shenzhen flower viewing 2024

Shenzhen Travel|4 must-visit flower-viewing spots in Shenzhen!

Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel

China Travel|5 best places to shoot Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link

The 5 best places to go in Zhaoqing

China Travel|5 remarkable places to visit in Zhaoqing

2 November 2015
C919 officially rolled off assembly line

China's first C919 aircraft rolled off assembly line

735 Caves

The Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, built over thousands of years, are the largest existing treasury of Buddhist art in the world, lauded as a treasure of hu...

WeChat