The Hong Kong, China men's foil team on Tuesday won the silver medal at the Fencing World Championships after losing to Italy in the final by the closest of margins.

Still, Edgar Cheung, Ryan Choi, Harris Ho and Leung Chin-yu made history as the foil team appeared in their first-ever final at the competition.

Top-seeded Italy staged a late rally to edge out the SAR 45-44 at AsiaWorld-Expo.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Cheung gave Hong Kong the early lead, winning the opening bout 5-4.

The SAR led 25-19 after five bouts and 40-36 going into the last bout.

Italy's Guillaume Bianchi then mounted a furious comeback against Choi, tying the score at 44 with 18 seconds remaining before snatching the decisive touch shortly afterwards.

This is Hong Kong, China's first medal at this year's Fencing World Championships.

The local team defeated the United States 45-43 in the semi-final earlier in the day.

The previous best finish for the men's foil team was bronze in 2023.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law congratulated the team on winning the silver medal, and expressed hope they'll do well again at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.



Edited by Edmond Fong