Achieving his dream of becoming the world's top-ranked fencer as a full-time athlete, Ryan Choi has now set a new goal of medalling at the Olympics, or once again at the World Championships.
The 27-year-old has made history for Hong Kong, China, clinching its first-ever Fencing World Championships gold.
Choi defeated Russia's Kirill Borodachev 15-9 in the men's foil final in Tbilisi, Georgia, an experience he described as a career milestone.
"It feels so surreal because I haven't lost a match in the past three consecutive competitions. Honestly, when I first started fencing, I never thought I’d be able to achieve this," Choi said in a video posted on social media by the Fencing Association of Hong Kong, China.
"After I won first place at the Shanghai Grand Prix, and then followed by a first-place win at the Asian Championships, I already felt like I could retire."
"So I’m going to take really good care of [this medal]."
The association also congratulated the SAR athlete on his historic win for the city.
Aside from the world championship title, Choi was also given prize money of US$40,000.
He will compete in the team foil event later in the competition.