Fencers Daphne Chan, Cedric Ho bow out of Olympics
The maiden Olympic journeys of two SAR fencers, Daphne Chan and Cedric Ho, came to an end on Sunday, but both earned praise from their coaches for their strong performances. Nineteen-year-old Chan bowed out of the women's foil individual event after she was beaten 15-8 by Germany’s Anne Sauer in the round of 16 at the Grand Palais in Paris. It's still the best result ever in the event for a Hong Kong competitor. Sauer seized a 5-4 advantage after a back-and-forth first round. The world No 6 from Germany continued to impress in the second round, extending the lead to 10-5. It was too big a deficit for Chan, ranked 31st in the world, to overcome, but she said after the match that making it this far is already a huge accomplishment. "I'm very happy I could reach top 16 and I think I enjoyed the stage so much, the atmosphere was amazing, and I'm very happy that I completed my first Olympics in a really good way," she said.  Her coach Gregory Koenig applauded the teenage fencer for her performance, adding that Chan has the capability to compete at the highest level.  "I know people can be disappointed because she doesn't bring a medal to Hong Kong. But we have to be honest, she fenced very well. She showed us she has the ability to have an amazing mindset for this kind of event, at 19 years old, her first Olympic Games," he said.  "Psychologically, she can be a great champion. Now she still has to work on the technical skills, the tactical skills, all the physical part.  "When all these are perfectly set out, if she can keep this mindset, she can really be in the top of the world and bring a medal in the next Olympics." Chan had edged out Sera Azuma of Japan 15-14 in the round of 32. Another Hong Kong Olympic debutant, Cedric Ho, lost to Masaru Yamada of Japan 15-9 in the men's épée. Ho was off to a quick start in their round of 32 match, racing to a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period. Yamada rallied in the next period, tying the score at 8. The SAR fencer faltered in the third and final period which his Japanese opponent won 7-1. "In all the times I have competed against him, I have never had a lead of more than five points. After the draw, I knew he was difficult to beat, but I wanted to try my best," Ho said after the match. "I had a big lead before I was overtaken, which I regret." His coach, Nicola Lu, said Ho gave an exceptional performance despite the loss. "I think that he was himself. That's the most important thing," he said. "The only regret is he didn't believe enough. My old coach used to say these are the moments you are more afraid of winning than losing."