Shanghai, May 19, 2024, The Europe Today: Cheung Ka Long of Hong Kong, China, emerged victorious in the men’s singles event at the 2024 Shanghai Foil Grand Prix on Sunday, while Italy’s Martina Favaretto secured the women’s title.
Reigning Olympic champion Cheung Ka Long faced little resistance on his path to the men’s final, where he encountered Gerek Meinhardt of the United States. Meinhardt had previously bested Japan’s Kazuki Iimura in the semifinal. In the fast-paced final, Cheung demonstrated his prowess with precise flicks, defeating Meinhardt 15-7 to claim his second Grand Prix title of the year, following his victory in Turin, Italy, this February.
On the women’s side, Favaretto achieved her first-ever Grand Prix gold by defeating Julia Walczyk-Klimaszyk of Poland in the final. World No. 1 Lee Kiefer and Pauline Ranvier of France each took home bronze medals.
A total of 14 Chinese fencers advanced to the men’s and women’s last 64, with Mo Ziwei and Chen Qingyuan making it to the last eight. Mo delivered an impressive performance, stunning world No. 3 Enzo Lefort of France 15-8 in the men’s quarterfinals before being eliminated by Meinhardt.
“I played up to my normal level today. The match [against Gerek] didn’t go as expected in the beginning because he was playing at a different pace that I’m not used to,” Mo commented. “I’ll review the game with my coaches later.”
Chen Qingyuan was also unable to reach the semifinals, losing to Favaretto 15-7, marking her third consecutive defeat against the Italian this year.
“I think I improved a little bit today, but I still had some weaknesses. She did better in defense,” Chen remarked. “My goal was to gain confidence through the matches and identify my problems. I will keep working harder.”
The Shanghai Foil Grand Prix continues to be a premier event, showcasing top-tier fencing talent from around the world.
