HK Olympic Fencing Gold Medalist Vivian Kong Is Known As “Little Lin Chiling”, Is Also A Stanford Grad, & Hopes To Work In The UN

Fencer Vivian Kong won Hong Kong’s first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in thrilling fashion when she made a remarkable comeback to clinch the women’s epee title yesterday (Jul 28).

The 30-year-old world number one overcame a six-point deficit to beat French favourite Auriane Mallo-Breton 13-12.

This is Hong Kong's third ever Olympic gold medal. Fellow fencer Cheung Ka Long struck gold in the men’s foil individual event at the 2020 Tokyo Games and windsurfer Lee Lai Shan won the women’s sailboard title at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

In an interview after her win, Vivian said it was the “Hong Kong spirit” which helped her achieve the feat.

"I just didn't want to lose in such an embarrassing manner. I felt like I hadn't shown the Hong Kong spirit. I didn't want to give up easily. I remembered that competing at the Grand Palais in Paris was one of my dreams, and I hoped to perform well to live up to the support and training from my coach and team,” she said.

This is Vivian’s third Olympic outing, and she has managed to make history for on every occasion.

She was the first fencer from Hong Kong to reach the round of 16 on her Games debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and in Tokyo 2020, she was first woman fencer to make it to the quarter-finals.

She also represented Hong Kong at the Incheon and Jakarta Asian Games, and won two bronze medals in the World Fencing Championships in 2019 and 2022, propelling her to world number one status and earning her the title "Queen of Fencing” in Hong Kong.

Besides fencing, Vivian is also known for her beauty and has been dubbed "Little Lin Chiling” for her resemblance to the 49-year-old Taiwanese star.

Vivian has always had a love for sport. Prior to fencing, she tried ice skating, ballet and taekwondo.

She took up fencing at age 11 and fell in love with the sport.

The reason? She enjoys fighting.

She chose epee as it "combined the speed of taekwondo and the grace of ballet".

By the age of 16, she had already won three golds and one silver at the Asian Junior Championships.

But Vivian’s road to Olympic victory hasn’t been a rosy one.

In 2017, while preparing for the World Championships in Germany, she fell and suffered a torn ACL in her left knee. Two years later, she injured the right one, leaving her sidelined.

She’s not just talented at fencing, she’s got the smarts too.

Vivian graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and has a master's in law from Renmin University of China.

She's currently studying for a doctorate in law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Vivian has a passion for animal rights and environmental issues and aspires to work for the United Nations to address the issues of marine ecology and global warming.

An advocate of low-carbon living, she often shares tips on low-carbon diets and lifestyle on Instagram.

Watch Vivian’s gold medal-winning moment on meWATCH.

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Photos: Vivian Kong/Instagram, Hong Kong China News Agency