Fencer Kaylin Hsieh said on Monday that this is her strongest season yet, following her successful title defence at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.

The 24-year-old claimed the women's individual epee gold, securing the first gold medal for Hong Kong, China, at this year's event.

This victory mirrored her win at the previous Games in Chengdu back in 2021.

Speaking upon her return, Hsieh, who is currently ranked fourth globally, described her rapid rise in the rankings as surreal. However, she emphasised there remains significant room for improvement and that she can continue pushing her limits.

Reflecting on the past year, she mentioned numerous new challenges and changes requiring adaptation, highlighting her recent graduation from the University of Notre Dame in the United States, her return to Hong Kong as a full-time athlete and the start of work with a new coach.

Despite these transitions, she said she felt she had handled them well.

She described this latest University Games win as the perfect conclusion, marking both her first and last appearance at the event with a gold medal.

"I think this is a really great confidence boost because I never really thought I could achieve the goals or the rankings I have now so quickly, and seeing it happen is just really surreal and it just makes me feel like anything is possible, not just for me, but for any one of us as Hong Kong athletes," she said.

"Especially for fencing, I hope that gives confidence to the younger ones, the younger and up and coming, because this is just the beginning of a whole new chapter for Hong Kong's history."

Looking ahead, Hsieh confirmed her focus is now set on the 2026 World Fencing Championships, which Hong Kong will host, and on pursuing a medal at next year's Asian Games in Japan.

She also noted an evolution in her fencing style over the years, attributing it more to mental growth than physical changes.

"Of course, the physical is always there. Like, I'm really strong, I'm really fast, but being able to think, and also to do what I think, that's the hard part, and I think that's more of the mental aspect, so the mindset," she said.

"I feel like in the recent competitions, I've been more confident, even though sometimes it's normal for me to feel stressed, feel nervous before a competition. But I think I've handled these emotions a lot better than I was before.

"Hence, I'm able to perform well this season, and this has been my best fencing season so far, and I'm really glad that the previous work that I've had has been paying off."