Hong Kong, China's men's foil team claimed bronze at the Foil World Cup in Istanbul, Turkiye, after defeating World No. 2 side the United States 45-40 for their third consecutive podium finish.

Spearheaded by world number one Ryan Choi and two-time Olympic champion Edgar Cheung, along with reigning world youth champion Harris Ho and Leung Chin-yu, the SAR were beaten by eventual champions Italy in the semi-final, having narrowly defeated rivals Japan 45-43 in the last eight.

The SAR had built a five-point lead midway through their clash against their American counterparts on Sunday, with Leung performing strongly against world No 32 Marcello Olivares in the seventh leg to win 7-3.

Choi ultimately secured Hong Kong's place on the podium after a dominant 5-1 triumph over Alexander Massialas.

Hong Kong's bronze medal finish means they overtake Japan as Asia's top-ranked men's foil team, following a gold medal in Paris and a silver in Cairo in the previous two World Cup stops this calendar year.

The latest podium finish means the city's foil team are ranked fourth in the world, behind Italy, the United States and France.



Edited by Tony Sabine