Wikipedia

Cheung Ka Long

In this Hong Kong name, the surname is Cheung. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Edgar Cheung and the Chinese-style name is Cheung Ka-long.

Edgar Cheung Ka-long SBS (Chinese: 張家朗; Jyutping: zoeng1 gaa1 long5; born 10 June 1997) is a Hong Kong left-handed foil fencer, two-time Olympic champion and two-time individual Asian champion, having won the gold medal at the 2020[1] and 2024 Summer Olympics.[2]

Edgar Cheung Ka-long
張家朗
Cheung in 2016
Personal information
Born (1997-06-10) 10 June 1997 (age 27)
Hong Kong
Height193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
WeaponFoil
HandLeft-handed
ClubHong Kong Sports Institute
Head coachGrégory Koenig
FIE rankingcurrent ranking
Domestic ranking2
Medal record
Men's foil
Representing  Hong Kong
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Individual
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Individual
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Cairo Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Milan Team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Hangzhou Individual
Silver medal – second place 2018 Jakarta Team
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Incheon Team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Hangzhou Team
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Wuxi Individual
Gold medal – first place 2022 Seoul Individual
Silver medal – second place 2017 Hong Kong Individual
Silver medal – second place 2018 Bangkok Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Chiba Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Suwon Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Singapore Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Singapore Team
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Wuxi Team
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Hong Kong Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Chiba Team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Seoul Team
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Wuxi Team
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Kuwait City Team
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Plovdiv Individual
Cheung Ka-long
Traditional Chinese張家朗
Simplified Chinese张家朗
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinzhāng jiā lǎng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingzoeng1 gaa1 long5

Cheung is the first athlete representing Hong Kong in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in fencing and the second to become an Olympic champion.[3][4]

Career

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Cheung Ka-long was born to parents who both played national league basketball in Hong Kong. He took up fencing in the fourth grade. In 2013, he was named Hong Kong's Most Promising Young Athlete at the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards. In 2014, he was named an Outstanding Junior Athlete by the Hong Kong Sports Institute;[5] he won a bronze in team foil at the Asian Fencing Championships and at the Asian Games that same year. In 2015, he earned two bronzes, one in individual foil and another in team foil during the Asian Fencing Championships. In 2016, he won gold and a bronze in team in the Asian Fencing Championships. At the Olympics in foil, he defeated Heo Jun in the round of 32 before losing to Guilherme Toldo in the round of 16, finishing 14th overall.[6] In 2017, Cheung won gold in individual foil at the Junior World Championships.[7] He then earned a silver medal in individual foil and a bronze in team foil in the Asian Fencing Championships. In 2018, he won a silver in team foil at the Asian Fencing Championships along with a bronze in individual foil and a silver in team foil at the Asian Games. In 2019, he earned a silver medal in the Turin Grand Prix, a bronze in the Anaheim Grand Prix as well as a silver in individual foil and a bronze in team foil at the Asian Fencing Championships.

In 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, Cheung and Tse Ying Suet were the flag bearers for Hong Kong.[8] In foil, he defeated Julien Mertine in the round of 32, 2018 world champion Alessio Foconi in the round of 16, Kirill Borodachev in the quarterfinals and Alexander Choupenitch in the semifinals. In the final he faced the reigning Olympic champion Daniele Garozzo; after trailing 1–4 he fought back to win by a score of 15–11.[9][10] This was Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medal in fencing and its second-ever gold.[11] For his achievements, he was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star, the highest possible award for an actively competing athlete.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Cheung successfully defended his men's foil gold medal, defeating Italian Filippo Macchi 15–14 in the final bout.[12]

Cheung is the third man to retain an Olympic foil title, after Nedo Nadi and Christian d'Oriola.[13]

Medal record

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Olympic Games

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Year Location Event Position
2021   Tokyo, Japan Individual Men's Foil 1st[14]
2024   Paris, France Individual Men's Foil 1st[15]

World Championship

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Year Location Event Position
2022   Cairo, Egypt Individual Men's Foil 3rd[16]
2023   Milan, Italy Team Men's Foil 3rd

Grand Prix

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Date Location Event Position
2019-02-08   Turin, Italy Individual Men's Foil 2nd[17]
2019-03-15   Anaheim, California Individual Men's Foil 3rd[18]
2023-03-19   Busan, South Korea Individual Men's Foil 2nd[19]
2024-02-11   Turin, Italy Individual Men's Foil 1st[20]
2024-05-19   Shanghai, China Individual Men's Foil 1st[21]

World Cup

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Date Location Event Position
2017-05-05   St. Petersburg, Russia Individual Men's Foil 3rd[22]
2017-10-20   Cairo, Egypt Individual Men's Foil 3rd[23]
2019-05-05   St. Petersburg, Russia Team Men's Foil 2nd[24]
2020-02-23   Cairo, Egypt Team Men's Foil 3rd[25]
2022-01-15   Paris, France Individual Men's Foil 1st[26]
2023-01-12   Paris, France Individual Men's Foil 3rd
2023-05-06   Acapulco, Mexico Individual Men's Foil 2nd
2023-11-10   Istanbul, Turkey Individual Men's Foil 2nd
2023-12-10   Tokoname, Japan Team Men's Foil 3rd
2024-05-04   Hong Kong Team Men's Foil 1st

Asian Championship

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Year Location Event Position
2014   Suwon, South Korea Team Men's Foil 3rd[27]
2015   Singapore Individual Men's Foil 3rd[28]
2015   Singapore Team Men's Foil 3rd[29]
2016   Wuxi, China Individual Men's Foil 1st[30]
2016   Wuxi, China Team Men's Foil 3rd[31]
2017   Hong Kong Individual Men's Foil 2nd[32]
2017   Hong Kong Team Men's Foil 3rd[33]
2018   Bangkok, Thailand Team Men's Foil 2nd[34]
2019   Chiba, Japan Individual Men's Foil 2nd[35]
2019   Chiba, Japan Team Men's Foil 3rd[36]
2022   Seoul, South Korea Individual Men's Foil 1st[37]
2022   Seoul, South Korea Team Men's Foil 3rd[38]
2023   Wuxi, China Team Men's Foil 3rd[39]
2024   Kuwait City, Kuwait Team Men's Foil 3rd

Impact

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The term "Ka-long effect" was coined after his historic gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Fencing schools in Hong Kong witnessed a surge in calls from parents wanting their kids to take up lessons, as the sport received a huge boost in popularity.[40] The phenomenon reoccurred in 2024 after his and Vivian Kong's fencing gold-medal wins at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[41]

Cheung's victory over Italian fencer Filippo Macchi in the 2024 Paris Olympic finals, sparked a conflict between Hong Kong and Italian netizens. Cheung's Instagram page was flooded with comments claiming Italy had been 'robbed'; in response, Hong Kong fans taunted the Italians by expressing their fondness of pineapple pizza and soy sauce spaghetti, in an effort to poke fun at the Italian disdain for pineapple as a pizza topping and to deride on Italian cuisine.[42] As a playful response to the online exchange, Pizza Hut branches in Hong Kong and Macao announced free pineapple toppings on their pizzas from 6 pm on July 30 until July 31, joining in the lighthearted jabs at Italian netizens resentful of Cheung's Olympic win.[43][44][45]

References

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  1. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ Jabkhiro, Juliette (30 July 2024). "Olympics: Fencing-A French fencing queen is crowned in gold at the Grand Palais". Reuters.
  3. ^ "Cheung Ka Long wins historic gold medal for Hong Kong with a victory in men's individual foil | NBC Olympics". www.nbcolympics.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Olympics-Fencing-Hong Kong's Cheung claims gold in men's foil". Reuters. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Cheung Ka Long". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Ka Long Cheung". rio2016.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ^ Chan, Kin-wa (8 April 2017). "Hong Kong's Cheung Ka-long claims gold at world junior fencing championships". South China Morning Post. p. 4.
  8. ^ "Badminton's Tse and fencer Cheung to carry SAR flag". RTHK. 9 July 2021.
  9. ^ Siu, Phila. "Hong Kong foil fencer Cheung Ka-long wins Olympic gold". Young Post, SCMP. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  10. ^ Ho, Kelly (26 July 2021). "BREAKING: Hong Kong men's foil fencer Edgar Cheung bags historic gold medal at Tokyo Olympics". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  11. ^ Shum, Michael (27 July 2021). "Unstoppable Cheung's stab at Games glory". The Standard. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  12. ^ "MACCHI FILIPPO VS CHEUNG KA LONG RESULTS". Paris 2024. 30 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Who is Cheung Ka-long? Stunning rise of Hong Kong's twice Olympic gold medallist". South China Morning Post. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  14. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  15. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  16. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  17. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  18. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Busan Foil Grand Prix Senior Men's Foil". fencingtimelive. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Turin - GPFIE "Trofeo Inalpi" 2024". engarde-service. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  21. ^ "2024 Shanghai Foil Grand Prix". fencingtimelive. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  22. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  23. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Historic Team Medal at Men's Foil World Cup". HKSI. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  25. ^ "【男子花劍世界盃．埃及直擊】張家朗6分鐘狂追27分 港隊絕殺法國奪銅". Sportsroad. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  26. ^ "HK's Cheung Ka-long wins fencing World Cup gold". RTHK. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  27. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  28. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  29. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  30. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  31. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  32. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  33. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  34. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  35. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  36. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  37. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  38. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  39. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website". FIE.org. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  40. ^ "The 'Ka-long effect': Hongkongers rush for fencing lessons following historic Olympic win". Hong Kong Free Press. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  41. ^ "巴黎奧運．香港代表｜江旻憓張家朗奪金效應 劍擊學校查詢數字急增". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 30 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  42. ^ Master, Farah; Pang, Jessie (31 July 2024). "Fencing-Pineapple pizza insults fly over Italian-Hong Kong fencing final". Reuters. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  43. ^ Yoon, John (30 July 2024). "Hong Kong Taunts Italy With Pineapple Pizza After Olympics Fencing Win". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  44. ^ "'Pineapple belongs on pizza': Italy vs Hong Kong Instagram war after Cheung's win". South China Morning Post. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  45. ^ "Paris Olympics: Hong Kong hits back at Italy with pineapple pizza". The Independent. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
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