Hong Kong’s foil fencers need to “fix something” and Cheung Ka-long’s return to his Olympic-winning form could take time, coach Greg Koenig has admitted after a disappointing team display at the World Cup in Japan.
Koenig, who as foil head coach oversaw Hong Kong’s team gold medal at the National Games at Kai Tak Arena last month, said he was surprised his foilists fell at the first hurdle in the World Cup’s team competition in Fukuoka on Sunday.
And he admitted his squad will pay the price during qualifying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles if results do not improve.
“Yes, it’s a huge surprise,” Koenig said on Monday, after a team including two-time Olympic champion Cheung and reigning world champion Ryan Choi Chun-yin were beaten 45-44 by Canada in their opening contest, following a first-round bye. Hong Kong are ranked sixth to Canada’s 11th.
“Unfortunately, our team’s mind was still on the National Games,” Koenig said. “We prepared a lot mentally for it, so it’s very hard to keep consistency when competitions are very close.”
Choi won individual gold in Fukuoka on Saturday, but Frenchman Koenig said he needed to “fix something” with his team for the coming tournaments, with the next one being the World Cup in Paris early next month.
