HONG KONG, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) — Fujian fencer Xu Jie claimed his first individual foil title at China‘s 15th National Games here on Sunday as he shocked two Hong Kong favorites Cheung Ka Long and Ryan Choi Chun Yin with back-to-back 15-9, before edging past Zou Tianyi of Jiangsu 15-13 in the final.
Xu, who finished fourth in last edition of the National Games, stunned World No. 1 and World Champion Choi in the quarterfinals before facing two-time Olympic Champion Cheung.
Boosted by the home crowed, Cheung had established a 9-5 lead in the semifinals, but the 28-year-old suddenly lost the momentum afterward and was turned around by Xu.
“I was a little collapsed when falling behind and felt I had no chance to beat him. But when I calmed down, I resisted his offence gradually. When taking on Cheung, I have nothing to lose. I had played against him twice before, both ended up fiasco, so I am happy to make progress today,” said Xu.
In the following final, Xu had opened the game 9-1, but Zou staged a late comeback to level the game 13-13, setting up a tense finale. Xu held the nerve to seal the game with 15-13.
Xu said this medal was beyond his expectation, “I had thought I would be eliminated in the first or second match of the knockout stage, and didn’t believe I was stronger than the opponents. I just felt well mentally and kept focused,” Xu noted.
Cheung made up later by registering a bronze medal with a victory over Zeng Zhaoran 15-2, while Jiangsu dominated the women’s individual sabre podium with Yang Yuheng taking the gold.
