Instinctive and unflappable

Wallis Wang

Olympic gold medalist Vivian Kong Man-wai "is the best in the world in her sword control and skills," her first fencing coach, Wilson Chen Weijing says.

Kong, 30, will return to a hero's welcome in Hong Kong on Thursday after beating Frenchwoman Auriane Mallo-Breton in the women's individual epee final.

Chen said yesterday Kong was not able to make most of her advantages at the beginning of the final when she trailed Mallo-Breton 1-7.

Still, he had faith in Hong Kong's "queen of swords," saying: "Vivian was not disturbed by the atmosphere and overcame the difficulties."

Chen also said Kong was focused during the one-minute sudden-death tiebreak, showing her thorough understanding of the sport and ability to analyze her opponent.

"She is the top women's epee fencer in the world in terms of the length of her arms and her skills, as well as her sword control and the way she manages to capture the right moment to challenge," he said.

Chen said Kong is good at counterattacks but found a gap in 30-year-old Mallo-Bretton's defense in the tiebreak and took that opportunity by landing a touch on her chest.

It would be hard to predict an opponent's move in such a high-level match as athletes have to rely on instincts, he said.

"It's like playing rock paper scissors. When a fencer makes two scissors in a row, can the opponent guess her next move?"

Chen said Kong began to learn fencing at the age of 10, with the advantage of long arms as her hands could almost touch her knees when standing. He added Kong was a fast learner with quick reaction.

He realized Kong's potential after she won a gold medal at the Asian Youth Fencing Championships in 2008.

"It was her first time playing in an international competition but performed well with no stage fright. She always found the right moment to advance and used the right strategies," Chen said.

Meanwhile, sports lecturer Lobo Louie Hung-tak said Kong's gold is significant to Hong Kong fencing and sports development while hoping the SAR can expand its sports therapeutic studies after seeing Kong recover from serious knee injuries.

Louie, associate head of the Education University's Department of Health and Physical Education, said fencing has become a signature sport for Hong Kong and Kong's victory cemented the city's status internationally.

He hopes the quality of sports development in the city could be improved to the elite level.

Chinese University medical school's department of orthopedics and traumatology chairman Patrick Yung Shu-hang, who performed both of Kong's knee surgeries, said the fencer was not affected by past injuries.

He added that he has treated many elite athletes but Kong was the fastest at recovering thanks to her habits and knowledge of sports therapeutics.

After Kong's sensational victory at the Games, more citizens have been signing up for fencing lessons for their children.