Edgar Cheung Ka Long (; born 10 June 1997) is a Hong Kong left-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencer, two-time Olympic champion and two-time individual Asian champion, having won the gold medal at the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Cheung is the first athlete representing Hong Kong in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals and the second to become an Olympic champion, after windsurfer Lee Lai Shan. He is also the fourth non-European and third Asian to do so, after Ramón Fonst, Kim Young-ho, and Lei Sheng.

Career

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; he won a bronze in team foil at the Asian Fencing Championships and at the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

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

, he defeated Heo Jun in the round of 32 before losing to Guilherme Toldo in the round of 16, finishing 14th overall. In 2017, Cheung won gold in individual foil at the Junior World Championships. 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

. 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. In

, 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. This was Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medal in fencing and its second-ever gold. 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. Cheung is the third man to retain an Olympic foil title, after Nedo Nadi and Christian d'Oriola.

Medal record

Olympic Games

World Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

Asian Championship

Impact

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. The phenomenon reoccurred in 2024 after his and Vivian Kong's fencing gold-medal wins at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 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

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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 Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...

. As a playful response to the online exchange, Pizza Hut branches in Hong Kong and

Macao Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most densely populated region in the world. Formerly a Portuguese colony, the ter ...

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.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Ka Long 1997 births Asian Games medalists in fencing Asian Games gold medalists for Hong Kong Asian Games silver medalists for Hong Kong Asian Games bronze medalists for Hong Kong Fencers at the 2014 Asian Games Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2018 Asian Games Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2022 Asian Games Living people Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2022 Asian Games Olympic fencers for Hong Kong Olympic gold medalists for Hong Kong Olympic medalists in fencing Hong Kong male foil fencers Left-handed fencers World Fencing Championships medalists FISU World University Games gold medalists for Hong Kong Medalists at the 2021 Summer Universiade Summer World University Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics