Fencing No 1 Ryan Choi aims to put Hong Kong on top of the world
Hong Kong ranked fourth ahead of staging World Fencing Championships this summer, with Italy, US and France the top three
Fencing world champion Ryan Choi Chun-yin boldly said on Saturday that he wanted to see the Hong Kong’s men climb to the top of the team world before he retires.
The city will host the World Fencing Championships this summer, and Choi said it was time a team that had two athletes who had been ranked as the best in the sport should be bidding to do the same as a group.
Speaking to media at an event previewing the championships in July, Choi and his teammates also pointed to the three World Cup podiums they have managed so far this season as evidence of what they were capable of achieving.
“Both [Cheung] Ka-long and I have ranked No 1 in the world, so I think we can now be bolder in having an ultimate goal, and that would be our team climbing to the very top,” Choi said.
“Compared to individual honours, I prefer doing so as a team more. I felt like this is something that we deserve, and it’s been something that we had long been waiting for, and working towards.
“I don’t know if and when we can do it, but this is something that I want to achieve before my career as an athlete comes to an end. Of course, I still want to win individually. If I have to choose between one, it would be the team; but if it’s up to me, why not both?”
