“Sword God” Zhang Jialang graduated from Lam Tai Fai Secondary School. Lam Tai Fai Secondary School Board Member and former Principal Huang Guangwei said that Jialang is very focused on fencing and has great tenacity. “He is not always smooth sailing. Everyone knows that he lost miserably in the Rio Olympics, but he recovered very quickly, which is his strong point.” Huang said that Jiang Minhui and Jialang’s gold medals have led to a fencing craze. He believes that only when the sport is popularized can there be elites, and there will be more opportunities to discover the next gold medal fencer.
Wong Kwong Wai pointed out that since Cheung Ka Long won the last championship, fencing athletes have known that Hong Kong has invested resources and trained many different echelons, especially this time with the Sword God and the Sword Queen, the international fencing community and the sports community will turn their attention to Hong Kong in fencing.
When asked whether Hong Kong can attract more sports-related talents to develop in Hong Kong, or even provide short-term training for national athletes, Wong Kwong Wai said that as a region with excellent fencing, he believes that the focus of fencing development will begin to shift to Hong Kong or Asia. He also believes that the SAR government and the Hong Kong Sports Institute will continue to use resources to develop fencing. “The Sports Institute currently has the conditions in this regard, but there have been few reports in the past. Many foreign athletes, especially those from Southeast Asia, have conducted short-term training in Hong Kong. Therefore, I believe that fencing may be a major project in the future, or it may attract the world’s attention that Hong Kong is suitable for athletes as a place for further training.”
In response to media inquiries, Lam Tai Fai, former chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, said that Zhang Jialang’s success has greatly enhanced Hong Kong’s status in the international sports arena. As a member of Lam Tai Fai Secondary School, he feels very proud and hopes that more students can win glory for Hong Kong and make contributions. \Ta Kung Pao reporter Yang Zhou