The Hong Kong, China men’s fencing team scored a stunning victory at the Foil World Cup stop in Paris on Sunday, defeating powerhouse the United States to claim their first team gold of the 2025-26 season, following individual world number one Ryan Choi Chun-yin’s clinching the silver medal a day earlier.
This triumph also marks Hong Kong Special Administrative Region fencing team’s second World Cup team champion title, having won the Hong Kong leg in 2024.
Seeded seventh, the SAR’s team of Choi, two-time Olympic gold medalist Edgar Cheung Ka-long, Lam Ho-long and Cheng Tit-nam entered the tournament with momentum. They beat Qatar, Poland and a team of Individual Neutral Athletes from Russia to reach the semi-finals. There, they overcame a strong Japanese team to secure their spot in the gold medal match.
The final against the world number two - the US team - was a nail-biting finish. Hong Kong trailed 12-15 after three games, before Lam dominated the fourth game 8-1 to put the SAR ahead 20-16.
Despite having fallen briefly behind again, Cheung rallied with a 7-3 in the eighth game to regain the lead, followed by Choi’s perfect 5-0 performance to seal victory, securing a 45-38 win for Hong Kong.
