Hong Kong fencing silver came after the Hong Kong mens foil team lost 44:45 to Italy in a deciding single touch in the final of the 2026 World Fencing Championships at AsiaWorld-Expo (a convention center on Lantau Island).
The Hong Kong team of Cheung Ka Long (張家朗), Choi Chun Yin (蔡俊彥), Ho Shing Him (何承謙), and Leung Chin Yu (梁千雨) pushed the defending world team champion, the current world number one Italy squad, to the limit before falling by a single point. The 44:45 final score marks Hong Kongs best ever finish in a World Championships team event.
Hong Kong advanced from the round of 32 with wins over Macau and Belgium, then beat last editions bronze medalist Hungary. In the semifinals the team edged the United States 45:43 to reach the final and target gold on home soil.
How Hong Kong fencing silver unfolded
The final opened with Cheung Ka Long, listed world No. 12 by the International Fencing Federation, facing Italys Guillaume Bianchi, ranked third. Cheung scored first in the opening bout to give Hong Kong a 5:4 lead. Choi Chun Yin then fought to a 5:5 draw with Italys Filippo Macchi.
Ho Shing Him, the reigning junior world champion, followed with a 5:4 victory to leave Hong Kong ahead 15:13 after three bouts. Cheung returned in the fourth bout and extended the margin with a 5:2 score against Macchi.
By the end of the fifth bout Hong Kong had increased its lead, and Ho Shing Him again delivered a 5:4 win in the seventh bout to build a six point cushion. Cheungs eighth bout allowed Italy to close the gap slightly, and Hong Kong went into the final rotation leading 40:36.
Final touch decided the Hong Kong fencing silver
Choi Chun Yin took the anchor role for Hong Kong and faced Guillaume Bianchi in the ninth bout. Bianchi briefly put Italy ahead 44:43, but Choi responded with an equalizing touch to force the deciding single touch. In the end Italy scored the final touch to win 45 to 44.
Although the result was disappointing, teammates rallied around Choi after the match, emphasizing the collective nature of the effort. Cheung Ka Long said, “We win together, we lose together. Missing out by one point is regrettable, but sports are like this. Sometimes defeat fuels the hunger to come back stronger,” speaking on the arena floor after the final.
Cheung, who has previously anchored Hong Kong teams, said he understood the pressure of the role and offered full support to Choi. “I trust him completely, I have stood in that position myself. The weight on your shoulders is hard to imagine. These pressures are something only we can understand,” Cheung said.
Home crowd helped fuel Hong Kong fencing silver bid
The 2026 championships were the highest level fencing competition ever staged in Hong Kong. Cheung said hearing Cantonese cheers and fans calling athletes by their Cantonese names made the event especially meaningful. “When I started fencing as a child, international competitions in Hong Kong were rare. I cherish every chance to compete here and I thank the crowd for their support,” he said.
Despite missing out on gold, the silver medal is a milestone, and the team said the disappointment will be turned into motivation. “This result gives us great momentum going forward,” Cheung said, thanking his teammates for their work and commitment to the teams progress.
Hong Kong fencing silver represents a new high for the territorys team events at the World Championships, and the squad plans to use this performance as a springboard into future international competitions.