NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong, China lost to host Japan in the men's team foil final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, with two-time Olympic champion Cheung Ka Long mounting a strong fightback before his team ultimately fell short.
Cheung fenced three bouts and scored 18 points in total, at one stage helping Hong Kong, China cut Japan's lead to three points. However, his team was unable to complete the comeback.
"I just wanted to take it one point at a time. I didn't think about tying the score. I just wanted to chase one point at a time and make things more comfortable for my teammates, without putting too much pressure on them," Cheung said after the final.
He said he had "not fenced very well" at the beginning but gradually found his rhythm and ways to deal with his opponent, adding that his form "got better and better" as the match progressed.
That was in sharp contrast to his state just three days earlier.
On Tuesday, Cheung suffered a shock 15-13 defeat to Daniil Kravtsov of Uzbekistan in the round of 32 of the individual event, ending his hopes of defending his Asian Games title.
After the defeat, the 29-year-old took off his mask, crouched beside the piste, covered his face with one hand and rested the other on the floor, remaining there for some time. In the mixed zone, he said in disappointment that this "could be my last Asian Games."
Asked after the team final whether he had changed his mind, Cheung paused for a moment, smiled and said, "That's a very good question. I don't think so. But I said 'could be.'"
Cheung said his body had gradually become less able to cope with high-intensity training as he has grown older. During the Games, his hand was wrapped in bandages and he repeatedly used treatment spray after physical problems emerged several days before his competition, leaving little time to make adjustments.
"But since I came here to compete, I had to give 100 percent," he said. "I did everything I could, so I have no regrets."
As a two-time Olympic gold medalist in men's individual foil, Cheung has achieved many of the goals he once pursued. Now, new questions have emerged.
"I lost my motivation and started repeatedly asking myself what else I could pursue," he said.
Cheung said he had tried to rediscover the simple joy of competing, telling himself to step onto the piste and enjoy the experience. But when results failed to meet his expectations, disappointment would return, leaving him caught in a struggle with himself.
"I cherish my time as an athlete very much, but I think every sporting career has to come to an end one day," he said. "But I'm not afraid of having a different kind of life."
Cheung is the oldest member of his team. In the team final, the responsibility of fencing in the last leg was put on 17-year-old Ho Shing Him Harris.
Once entrusted with the final leg himself, Cheung is now supporting the team in a different role as a younger generation begins to take on greater responsibility.
From the disappointment of his individual defeat to the enjoyment of competing alongside his teammates in the team event, and from pursuing his Olympic ambitions to contemplating life beyond competitive sport, Cheung is still considering whether to continue.
But at least at these Asian Games, he made sure to fight for every point he could. ■
