- Fencer dedicates her bronze to the people of her home amid city's turmoil
- Bronze will put her in good stead for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo
Top fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai is halfway through her quest for an Olympic medal. Now for the final push as she puts all her effort into making a lifelong dream come true.
The 25-year-old epeeist became the first Hong Kong fencer to medal at the world championships and she was delighted not only to have accomplished what she had set out to do this year, but she moved closer to a potential medal at next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo. She also returned to the world No 1 ranking spot.
In Budapest, she scored impressive victories over top ranking opponents from Slovenia, Ukraine and Estonia, as well as top Frenchwoman Caroline Vitalis (15-9), before reaching the last four, where she lost to Brazil's Nathalie Moellhausen 15-11. There is no play-off for third place so losing semi-finalists receive an automatic bronze.
Left-handed fencer Kong dedicated her victory to the people of Hong Kong amid the city's "struggles", adding that she hopes her bronze would brighten up people lives. Kong was referring to the ongoing protests against the extradition bill that have wreaked havoc.
"I'm very happy to have won a medal for Hong Kong which has been facing many unhappy things lately. I wanted to fence better and give the good news to the Hong Kong people. I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't win gold, but I know how to improve myself (for Tokyo).
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"I have to thank all the people who have supported me, including my coach, my physio, my family and a lot of other people," she said on the Hong Kong Fencing Association Facebook page.
Kong specially dedicated her victory to her 65-year-old Romanian coach, Octavian Zidaru, who told the South China Morning Post this month that his protege had a "good chance" of medalling at the Worlds if she stayed true to form.
"If you get a medal in Budapest, you are almost certain to qualify for next year's Olympic Games, although I don't think this will be any problem for Kong," said Zidaru at the time.
The Hong Kong fencer had a wretched time at last month's Asian championships in Tokyo, where she finished only ninth in women's epee " a performance that saw her world ranking drop to third.
But Kong is back at the top of the world rankings on 193 points, ahead of China's Lin Sheng (156) and South Korea's Kang Young-mi (153).
Brazilian Moellhausen defeated China's Lin 13-12 in a closely matched bout to win epee gold and was sure her late father would have been proud of her.
"It was kind of magic that I took this event," said the winner on FIE's Facebook page. "I lost my father last year. He always told me that life is magic and he told me to never give up … never, never, never give up in life, that everything is magic.
Fencing star Vivian Kong's reign at the top ends as she slips to No 3
"So I wanted to show him that I could make it because he always believed in me. So this is for him. I almost quit last year after my father passed away. It was a very intense year. But I went back to fencing in January and I only had one goal (for this year) and that was to win the world championship," she said. "The Brazilian team and Brazilian people are the best supporters."
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