PARIS OLYMPICS: HONG KONG’S CHAMPION FENCER CHEUNG KA-LONG SHOULD BE FEARED, COACH SAYS

• Tokyo Olympics gold medallist needs to turn his aura to his advantage, not be crushed by pressure, according to Greg Koenig

Hong Kong's defending Olympic champion fencer Cheung Ka-long can strike fear into his opponents as he tries to win again in Paris, his coach has said.

Greg Koenig, who is overseeing the 27-year-old's bid for repeat glory in the men's individual foil, wants Cheung to use his status to his advantage rather than feeling burdened by it, and stick to a mission agreed by the pair in 2022.

World No 3 Cheung had been ranked a lowly 19th when he stunned his rivals to win gold at the Tokyo Games three years ago. Six months later, Koenig gave his leading athlete a choice: enjoy being Olympic champion, or try to reach the summit a second time.

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"After one or two days, he told me, 'I want to write my name in history, I want to be Olympic champion two, maybe three times,'" Koenig said.

"I told him, 'When it gets hard, there can be no crying, no doubts - you said you wanted more, so you have to keep going.'"

The greatest challenge in Paris, Koenig said, would be to handle the pressure of his defending-champion tag.

Equally, the Frenchman insisted the aura should count in Cheung's favour, not act as a millstone around his neck.

Cheung claimed world championship bronze 12 months after his Olympic success, and last year won Asian Games gold. He has two grand prix titles this year, from Turin and Shanghai.

"He is intimidating, not only because he is Olympic champion, but because everyone knows [his talent]," said Koenig, who has led Hong Kong's foilists since 2018. "Everybody will be a bit scared of him. He is one of the strongest opponents they could fence.

"Other competitions do not have the same level of stress, though. He is Olympic champion, so it is a lot of pressure."

Dr Andrea Furst, a sports psychologist who has worked with multiple elite individuals and teams, said Cheung should "create his own narrative".

"You can't get rid of the noise; you have to find a way of dealing with it," Furst said. "If it's hindering him, the best thing is to create a bubble around him and let it bounce off, rather than taking it on board.

"If he unpicks how it makes him feel to be talked about as defending champion, he can create his own narrative, rather than follow everybody else's."

Koenig, Cheung and teammate Daphne Chan Nok-sze will spend six days in camp close to Paris after flying to France on July 18. They will transfer to the Olympic Village four days before Cheung competes on July 29.

"My main goal before the competition is to put him in a bubble, so he does not feel pressure from Hong Kong, from the media or from his family," Koenig said.

"We are minimising time in the Olympic Village, because there is lots of pressure - you can meet your next opponents."

Koenig cited Cheung's defeat by home fencer Guilherme Toldo at the 2016 Rio Olympics as a cautionary tale.

"Let's say he fences a French guy, in Paris, with all the public support," Koenig said. "That can change everything. He is older than in Rio, so can handle it better, but it is still impossible to predict.

"I am confident he can succeed, but there is a balance between having nothing to lose and everything to lose. You have to face this situation. If you can't, you're not ready to be a two-time Olympic champion."

Koenig lives apart from his wife and 12-year-old daughter, who have both remained in France.

"It is not very easy, but I had to do this," Koenig said. "I had reached the goals I wanted in France, I was not happy. I had entered real life [operating a business selling ice cream]. I earned a lot, but it doesn't create the same emotion as sport. That is what makes me feel alive.

"One day, my daughter will say, 'You were not here, Dad.' I will explain to her, it was really important for me to do this.

"I am pretty sure she would prefer a happy father, a bit far away but always ready to help her, than a sad father who was here, but not very happy."

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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2024-07-05T00:17:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd