CAIRO, Egypt – Vivian Kong '16 earned a bronze medal in the epee at the World Fencing Championships last week.
Kong added to her international accomplishments. It was her second World Championships bronze in the individual epee, following her 2019 performance in Budapest, Hungary, when she became the first Hong Kong fencer to medal at Worlds.
In a heartbreaking semifinal against world No. 3 Song Sera of South Korea, Kong tied the match, 9-9, in the third and last session with one minute to go. But Sera closed with five consecutive points to win, 14-9. Song went on to clinch the world title for South Korea as she beat Germany's Alexandra Ndolo, 11-10, in the final. Kong has beaten Sera in four of their seven all-time meetings.
Kong has competed in two Olympic Games, reaching the quarterfinals in Tokyo last year in the individual epee and helping Hong Kong to seventh in the team epee. In the seventh-place match against the Russian Olympic Committee, Hong Kong trailed 25-20, but Kong out-touched her opponent, Violetta Khrapina, 8-2, to rally her team to victory.
Kong, ranked No 7 in the world, and Italy's Rossella Fiamingo were both awarded a bronze medal as there was no play-off for the third place.
Kong, a lefthander, was honored as the best women's epee fencer in the world for 2019 by the FIE Congress.
She was the only fencer in her weapon to win multiple World Cup or Grand Prix titles during the 2018-19 international season, taking first at the Havana and Barcelona events.
Kong finished 11th at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games while becoming the first Hong Kong fencer to win an Olympic bout.
She is a two-time Asian champion, winning individual titles in 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, and in 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. In the latter, on June 10, Kong stunned world No 1 Choi In-jeong of South Korea, 12-11.
Kong, 28, is nicknamed the "Queen of Swords," Kong was a black belt in taekwondo and a dancer when she was young. She tried fencing at the suggestion of her father.
Kong was a 2014 NCAA champion and was the second in Stanford history to win the title in the women's epee and was fourth in 2013.