Cheung Ka-long celebrates after winning against Italy's Alessio Foconi in the men's individual foil qualifying bout during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on July 26, 2021. (MOHD RASFAN / AFP)

Hong Kong's new Olympic gold medalist, foil fencer Cheung Ka-long, said the medal sent a message to the city that "you can when you believe".

The 24-year-old has clinched Hong Kong's first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, beating defending champion Daniele Garozzo of Italy by 15-11 in the individual men's foil final.

It was Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medal after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the city's second after Lee Lai-shan's windsurfing gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Cheung Ka-long became Men's Foil Individual champion at the 2016 Asian Fencing Championships held in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, the first Hong Kong fencer to win the gold medal in the event

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"I hope people would know the Olympics are not really that far away, so you can take a long view," the 1.93-meter-tall champion told the media after the match.

Born in 1997, Cheung developed an affinity for sports and fencing since elementary school, under the influence of his parents, both basketball players.

He became Men's Foil Individual champion at the 2016 Asian Fencing Championships held in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, the first Hong Kong fencer to win the gold medal in the event.

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He ranked 14th in the men's foil at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After the race, he told China Daily in an interview he had gained precious experience in the competitions and hoped to win a medal for Hong Kong in the next Olympics in Tokyo.

This year, Hong Kong has sent out a record number of 46 athletes to contest 38 events in 14 sports. The city is hopeful for its chance to secure medals this year with many promising young athletes.