Vivian Kong

Vivian Kong Man Wai, born on February 8, 1994, in Hong Kong, began her fencing career at age eleven after exploring ballet and taekwondo. She found épée fencing to combine the speed of taekwondo with the grace of ballet. Kong completed her secondary education at Sha Tin College and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Stanford University. As of 2024, she is pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law, with aspirations to work for the United Nations. Kong represented Hong Kong at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, making history as the first Hong Kong fencer to win a World Cup title in January 2019 in Havana, Cuba.

Her distinguished career includes multiple significant achievements. Kong earned bronze medals at the World Fencing Championships in 2019 (Budapest) and 2022 (Cairo). She also secured three individual gold medals at the Asian Championships: in 2018 (Bangkok), 2022 (Seoul), and 2023 (Wuxi). Her consistent performance led to her participating in her third Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. In the women’s épée event, she notably overcame a 1-7 deficit in the finals against Auriane Mallo to win 13-12, securing Hong Kong’s third-ever Olympic gold medal. This marked her first Olympic medal.

Following her Olympic victory in Paris, Kong announced her retirement from professional fencing on August 4, 2024, expressing her intent to pursue new career paths and contribute to Hong Kong. On August 6, 2024, it was announced that she would join the Hong Kong Jockey Club to promote sports development within the city. Her Olympic success, alongside fellow fencer Cheung Ka Long, significantly boosted public interest in fencing schools across Hong Kong, attracting new participants of all ages.