PARIS: Fencer Vivian Kong won Hong Kong’s third-ever Olympic gold medal on Saturday, disappointing the home crowd, when she defeated France’s Auriane Mallo-Breton 13-12 in sudden death in the women’s cordball final.
Kong wiped away tears after clinching the title, holding her nerve as she trailed 7-1 in the second period as a passionate home crowd, including President Emmanuel Macron, urged Mallo-Breton on.
Kong’s gold emulates that of fellow fencer Cheung Ka Long in the men’s wing in Tokyo three years ago and sailor Lee Lai Shan, who won the women’s sailing title at Atlanta 1996.
“I just thought it was so embarrassing to lose like that,” she said of fighting back from a six-point deficit.
“I didn’t use my brain. I still think I lost even after so many conversations.”
United States First Lady Jill Biden and Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, a day after celebrating their 81st birthdays, were both in attendance earlier on Saturday.
The French president quickly left to console Mallo-Breton, so he missed the men’s saber title match won by South Korea’s Oh Sang-uk.
Mallo-Breton gave the home crowd goosebumps as she progressed to the final, not least when she was trailing 13-10 with 36 seconds remaining in her final match – 32.
However, she somehow managed to beat her formidable Ukrainian opponent Dzhoan Bezhura 14-13.
However, in the final, the French found herself ahead and the weight of expectation too much and Kong changed after changing her epee.
“I used the same epee in all my matches, but Auriane was my first left-handed opponent, so I decided to use a different epee. I ran out of solutions,” Kong said.
Mallo-Breton held her lead until Kong leveled at 10-10, and then the match became more tense.
Neither of them wanted to make a fatal mistake, so they tied at 12:12.
Mallo-Breton realized the game was up when world number one Kong was dealt a decisive hit in sudden death, the Frenchwoman turning her back and holding her head in her hands.
“That’s the game. I think at one point it was too easy and she stayed there,” Mallo-Breton said.
“However, it is a medal and one has to be happy about it.
Mallo-Breton’s medal is France’s first in the women’s individual cords since the 2004 Athens Games.
Bronze was previously won by Hungary’s Eszter Muhariová, who defeated Nelli Differtová from Estonia 15:14 in a tense fight.
Oh won a highly entertaining men’s saber final with his Tunisian opponent Fares Ferjani 15-11.
The Tunisian held on to Oh throughout, but the 27-year-old had enough in the locker to hold him off and add individual gold to the team title he won in Tokyo.
The bronze went to Italy’s Luigi Samele, who collapsed to the floor as if it were gold and stood up in tears to kiss the head of his Egyptian rival Ziad Elsissy. Samele could have more reasons for tears on Monday when his girlfriend Olga Kharlanova bids to win the only individual title she lacks – Olympic saber gold – for Ukraine.
