Edgar Cheung Ka-long (; born 10 June 1997) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

left-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

fencer, two-time individual Asian champion, two-time Olympian, and 2021 individual Olympic champion. Cheung is the first athlete representing Hong Kong in history to win an Olympic gold medal in fencing and the second to become an Olympic champion.

Career

Cheung Ka Long was born to parents who both played national league basketball in Hong Kong. He took up fencing in the fourth grade. In 2013, he was named Hong Kong's Most Promising Young Athlete at the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards. In 2014, he was named an Outstanding Junior Athlete by the

Hong Kong Sports Institute The Hong Kong Sports Institute () is a sports institute located in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is mandated to provide training to athletes, and also offers academic qualification in the field of sports training. The institute sponsors ...

; he won a bronze in team foil at the

Asian Fencing Championships Asian Fencing Championships is the fencing zonal championship organized by the Asian Fencing Confederation for the Asia-Oceania zone. The first Asian Fencing Championships was held in 1973 in Tehran, however, fencing in the continent did not procee ...

and at the Asian Games that same year. In 2015, he earned two bronzes, one in individual foil and another in team foil during the

. In 2016, he won gold and a bronze in team in the

. At the Olympics in

, he defeated

Heo Jun Heo Jun (허준, 1539 – 9 October 1615) was a Korean physician. He was the royal chief physician of '' Naeuiwon'' during the reign of King Seonjo and King Gwanghae of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Biography Heo Jun was born in 1539 to an affl ...

in the round of 32 before losing to Guilherme Toldo in the round of 16, finishing 14th overall. In 2017, Cheung won gold in individual foil at the Junior World Championships. He then earned a silver medal in individual foil and a bronze in team foil in the

. In 2018, he won a silver in team foil at the

along with a bronze in individual foil and a silver in team foil at the Asian Games. In 2019, he earned a silver medal in the Turin Grand Prix, a bronze in the Anaheim Grand Prix as well as a silver in individual foil and a bronze in team foil at the

. In 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, Cheung and

Tse Ying Suet Tse Ying Suet (, born 9 November 1991) is a Hong Kong badminton player. She competed at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's doubles event (with Poon Lok Yan). In 2012, she won the women's doubles title at the Japan Open tournament w ...

were the flag bearers for Hong Kong. In

, he defeated

Julien Mertine Julien Mertine (born 26 June 1988) is a French right-handed foil fencer, four-time team European champion, 2014 team world champion, and 2021 team Olympic champion. Career Mertine took up fencing at the age of five with his father, a fencing ...

in the round of 32, 2018 world champion

Alessio Foconi Alessio Foconi (born 22 November 1989) is an Italian right-handed foil fencer and 2021 Olympian. Foconi is a 2022 team European champion, 2019 individual European champion, three-time team world champion, and 2018 individual world champion. C ...

in the round of 16, Kirill Borodachev in the quarterfinals and

Alexander Choupenitch Alexander Choupenitch (; born 2 May 1994) is a Czech right-handed foil fencer, two-time Olympian, and 2021 individual Olympic bronze medalist. Personal life Choupenitch is the son of Belarusian-born opera singers who both worked at National T ...

in the semifinals. In the final he faced the reigning Olympic champion

Daniele Garozzo Daniele Garozzo (; born 4 August 1992) is an Italian right-handed foil fencer. Garozzo is a 2022 team European champion, two-time individual European champion, and four-time team world champion. A two-time Olympian, Garozzo is a 2021 individ ...

; after trailing 1–4 he fought back to win by a score of 15–11. This was Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medal in fencing and its second-ever gold.

Medal Record

Olympic Games

World Championship

Asian Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

Impact

The term "Ka-long effect" was coined after his historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics. Fencing schools witnessed a surge in calls from parents wanting their kids to take up lessons, as the sport received a huge boost in popularity.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Ka Long 1997 births Asian Games bronze medalists for Hong Kong Asian Games medalists in fencing Asian Games silver medalists for Hong Kong Fencers at the 2014 Asian Games Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2018 Asian Games Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Living people Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic fencers of Hong Kong Olympic gold medalists for Hong Kong Olympic medalists in fencing Hong Kong male foil fencers Left-handed fencers World Fencing Championships medalists