Hong Kong épée team’s defeat a learning experience for West Island School pupil Wu
Wu Haidi calls competition at Kai Tak Arean an ‘unforgettable experience’ that will help her in the future
Teenage fencer Wu Haidi said the National Games was “a mark for me to know where I am right now”, after the city’s women’s épée team came up short in their pursuit of a medal on Tuesday.
Led by individual bronze medallist Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan, the hosts got past their first hurdle, Shandong, with a narrow 33-30 win at Kai Tak Arena.
Chan Wai-ling erased a two-point deficit in the penultimate round before handing off to Hsieh, who secured the winning points in the final round to seal a final four spot for her team.
But that was as close as Hong Kong got to a medal, as they suffered successive defeats at the hands of Fujian and Beijing in the semi-final and bronze medal match. In the previous Games in Shaanxi four years ago, Hong Kong ranked seventh.
Hsieh, the world No 4, praised her team for “never giving up”, not matter how far behind they were.
“Whether we’re down by two, three or even more than five points, we keep trying to catch up,” she said.