Hong Kong, China fencer Edgar Cheung’s defence of his men’s individual foil crown at the Asian Games ended on Tuesday, as the two-time Olympic gold medallist lost to Uzbekistan’s Daniil Kravtsov in the round of 32 at Aichi Sky Expo Hall.

Cheung was initially stifled by Kravtsov’s quick, aggressive style and could not pull away.

The pair traded points, with the score tied repeatedly.

Late in the bout, however, Kravtsov took control, scoring repeatedly with attacks to leave Cheung trailing 12-14.

Cheung clawed one point back, but he could not complete the comeback and was eliminated.

Speaking to local media in a TV interview after the match, Cheung said he did not compete well, though he had prepared as much as he could.

"Before the competition, I hoped to prepare as much as I could for the Asian Games. I tried not to think too much. Unfortunately, I am getting older and I have some injuries, so I wasn't able to keep up," he said.

"I didn't want to bring up my injuries because all athletes go through it and you need to learn to co-exist with it. I gave it my all to prepare and hoped to have a good result, but unfortunately during the pool matches, I felt a little out of my depth so I didn't compete very well."

Cheung will return to the piste on Friday for the team event.



Edited by Tony Sabine