Gold medal-winning Hong Kong fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai received a heroine’s welcome on Thursday upon her arrival from the Paris Olympics, with fans calling her an inspiration.
The 30-year-old épéeist, who won the city’s first gold of this year’s Games on Sunday, made it to the arrival hall around 6.30am, a few hours after swimmer Siobhan Haughey clinched her second bronze medal.
Dozens of people stopped by to meet the star athlete, including those arriving on Hong Kong-bound flights or on layovers.
Kong held a bouquet and waved to onlookers, alongside fellow fencer and Olympian Daphne Chan Nok-Sze, when some welcomed her with cheers.
She also pulled her gold medal out of her pocket with a big smile after spotting a crowd of cameras set up by the press.
“It still feels unreal. It still feels like I have to go [training] but I don’t have to today,” she said. “I think I’m going to try and let this sink in then decide what’s next.”
Kong congratulated Cheung Ka-long and Haughey for their medals and told Hongkongers not to measure athletes’ hard work solely on results.
“Many other athletes have also put a lot of effort into the competition,” she said.
“Sometimes, our hard work and passion for sports cannot be measured by the results. I hope everyone can offer the same amount of support to all of us.”
Cheung secured the city’s second gold medal after his win in the men’s foil individual event on Tuesday. It was his second gold after the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Haughey earned the most medals among Hong Kong’s team after winning two bronze on Tuesday and Thursday respectively. She has bagged four medals in total, including two in Tokyo.
Kong expressed her gratitude to her fencing predecessors for their contributions.
“They had fewer resources back then but still worked very hard and fought for good results for Hong Kong, which has allowed our generation to chase our dreams,” she said.
“Being an athlete, especially a fencer, in Hong Kong is a blessing.”
She said she was “really proud of” whatthe city’s fencing team had achieved in Paris and Tokyo.
Kong said she wished to establish a charity fund or a social enterprise for children interested in fencing with her cash incentive.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club offers a cash prize of HK$6 million (US$767,990) for the city’s gold medallists.
She said fencing had a high entry threshold as it required a lot of equipment and was also subject to venue restrictions, hoping more interested youngsters would be able to play the sport.
She added that she would also spend the money on presents for her team, coaches and roommate.
When asked if she would join the next Olympics, the gold medallist said she was still trying to process what had happened.
“I’m going to see if this feels real soon and I’ll think of what’s next,” she said.
She added that she wished to go snowboarding now that she no longer needed to worry about injuring her knees.
She suffered serious anterior cruciate ligament injuries in 2017 and 2019, and another knee injury a month before the game.
Kong kissed her gold medal and blew kisses at everyone at the press zone before she left amid rounds of applause.
About 40 people stood on the bridge between the drop-off area and the departure hall, hoping to get a bird’s-eye view of the star.
Some called Kong “world number one” in Cantonese, as they congratulated and cheered for her.
Kong’s resilience has inspired many fans in Hong Kong. Yoyo Chan, 35, woke up at 4am and took a bus from Hung Hom to the airport to see Kong.
Chan, a fan since 2019, said she was lucky to see the gold medal-winner at the airport.
“It is really hard for Hong Kong to win gold medals in the Olympics, and Vivian waited 12 years to do that,” Chan said. “If I have a chance to talk to Vivian today, I will say ‘congratulations’ and ask her to take a good rest.”
Twin sisters Isadora and Isabella Fei, 13, said they had been learning fencing for a few years until the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Seeing Kong’s victory, they felt inspired to start fencing again.
“Her technique is outstanding,” Isadora said. “She worked really hard … and persevered with her training.
“We want to give [fencing] another chance.”
