SAR fencers aim to stay pressure-free in Hangzhou
Olympic fencing gold medallist Edgar Cheung said on Monday that playing with a calm mentality is the key to success for him and the SAR team at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou. "I think I will be more calm and just enjoy the moment instead of giving myself some goals. In my opinion, it will be more pressuring and stressful for me if I have more expectations and goals, so I will just do what I do as usual in my fencing," he told RTHK. "Every competition for me is a new competition so I will not think about what result I have had before. Just keep fighting, never give up, and give everything I have." He added that China, Japan and South Korea will be the SAR's biggest competitors, but he will try his best to bring home some good results. Cheung, who struck gold in men's foil at the recent University Games in Chengdu, added that the playing in Hangzhou will be a great opportunity to sharpen his skills ahead of the Paris Olympics next year.  His coach Gregory Koenig said the Hong Kong team can achieve good results at the Asian Games despite the strong opponents. "For the men's foil team, my goal is to reach the gold medal as always. When we go into a competition, there is no 'maybe', we go there to fight as much as we can," Koenig said. Another Hong Kong fencer, Kaylin Hsieh, said she hopes her young age won't put her at a disadvantage against the more experienced fencers in Hangzhou. "I think one of the challenges I could face at the Asian Games is fencing opponents who have more experience than me because coming into Asian Games, I'm still considered relatively young even though I'm 22 years old," she said. "There are other fencers who are around 30 or in their mid-30s, which you can see a difference there. But I think it is still possible for me to work around that issue."  Hsieh also said she will use the same tactics she used in Chengdu where she won gold at the University Games. "Focusing on each touch, I think I will be able to beat them regardless." Cheung and Hsieh are among 24 fencers representing the SAR at the 19th Asian Games, which open on September 23.