Hong Kong Fencer Ho Cheng Him Claims Historic Youth Olympic Gold in Men's Foil
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
Ho Cheng Him (何承謙), known as Harris, secured a historic victory for Hong Kong on Tuesday by clinching the men's foil gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games held in Dakar, Senegal. The 17-year-old world junior champion defeated Japan's top-seeded Maeda Shoji (前田將志) with a decisive 15-8 victory in the final, earning Hong Kong its first-ever fencing gold at the Youth Olympics . This achievement surpasses the previous best results of his fencing predecessors, including Ryan Choi's silver in 2014 and Kaylin Shea's silver in 2018 .
Key Points
- Harris entered the competition as the second seed with an FIE world ranking of 25th, while Maeda was the top seed .
- In the group stage, Harris posted a 5-1 record, losing only to Cyprus fencer Aris Kiayias (2-5), before advancing directly to the quarter-finals as second overall .
- Harris dominated the knockout rounds, defeating Czech fencer Krystof Novak 15-2 in the quarter-finals and then avenging his group stage loss by beating Kiayias 15-10 in the semi-finals .
- This marks the second time Harris defeated Maeda this year, having previously beaten him 15-8 in the semi-finals of the World Junior Championships in Brazil in April .
- Hong Kong's delegation to this Youth Olympics has accumulated one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals overall .
Why It Matters
This gold medal represents a breakthrough for Hong Kong's fencing programme, demonstrating that the territory can produce world-class foil fencers capable of defeating established Asian powers like Japan on the international stage . Harris's achievement is expected to inspire a new generation of Hong Kong fencers and strengthen the city's ambitions in the sport ahead of future Olympic cycles.
This gold medal represents a breakthrough for Hong Kong's fencing programme, demonstrating that the territory can produce world-class foil fencers capable of defeating established Asian powers like Japan on the international stage . Harris's achievement is expected to inspire a new generation of Hong Kong fencers and strengthen the city's ambitions in the sport ahead of future Olympic cycles.