Hong Kong's fencing king and two-time Olympic gold medallist Edgar Cheung has encouraged students to never give up in the face of adversity.

He was attending a student-sharing session after receiving an outstanding athlete award worth HK$3.375 million from his alma mater, Lam Tai Fai College.

Cheung, who captured gold in the individual foil event in Tokyo in 2021 and in Paris last year, told students that it's not all glamorous for athletes.

He said he had a disappointing performance during the 2024 Asian Fencing Championships, held about two months before the Paris Olympics, and it took him some time to regain his confidence.

The world no. 2 encouraged students to never forget their goals or be discouraged when they encounter any difficulties.

Table tennis star Wong Chun-ting, who partnered with Doo Hoi-kem to reach the mixed doubles semi-finals at the Paris Games, was a fellow alumnus and received a prize of HK$375,000.

The school's supervisor, Lam Tai-fai, said the athlete award programme demonstrates the school's contributions to Hong Kong sports and education.