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Pulling out all stops for Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung

The recently turned 20-year-old will have a team of nutritionists, physiotherapists and sports massage therapists at his disposal as he seeks glory at the Asian Championships in Hong Kong

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Edgar Cheung is favourite to win the Asian men’s individual foil title on Thursday. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong fencing is pulling out all the stops to help defending champion Edgar Cheung Ka-long and his teammates win glory as the city hosts its first Asian Fencing Championships at AsiaWorld-Expo starting on Thursday.

Head coach Zheng Zhaokang isn’t too concerned about Cheung’s technical skills, which will be put to the test on Thursday with a complete round of competition with medals at stake. The recently turned 20-year-old has already broken into the world’s top 10 and is beginning to show his potential.

Zheng is more concerned about the support side and the little things that can make a difference between winning and losing.

“We have brought a team of sports psychologists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and sports massage therapists and this can only be done because we are the hosts – without having to do any travelling,” said Zheng.

Edgar Cheung’s world ranking has skyrocketed to eighth in the world after a series of fine results on the international stage.
Edgar Cheung’s world ranking has skyrocketed to eighth in the world after a series of fine results on the international stage.

“Cheung is the highest ranked fencer at the championships and has been performing well this year. But he is still young and may find it difficult to improve his level.

“That’s why we need the help of the sport psychologist, especially as this is the first time the youngster will be appearing in front of a home crowd at a such a big event.

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