Tokyo (AFP)

By becoming Olympic foil champion on Monday in Tokyo, Hong Kong's Cheung Ka Long made his compatriots smile with this first Olympic coronation in 25 years for this autonomous territory of China, a former British enclave, plagued by disputes over Street.

The 24-year-old fencer, who had finished only in 14th place in previous Games, created a surprise by beating the final of the men's foil tournament on Monday, the 2016 Olympic champion, the Italian Daniele Garozzo.

The archipelago has so far won only one gold medal, when Lee Lai-Shan won the Mistral windsurfing title in Atlanta in 1996.

Hong Kong also won silver in Athens-2004 in table tennis (men's doubles) and bronze in track cycling (Lee Wai Sze in women's keirin) in London-2012.

"It's like a dream and to be honest, even though I seem calm and composed, I'm not at all! It's that in fact I don't know how to react, it all seems crazy to me", a explained the new Olympic champion after his victory, at Makuhari Mess Hall in Chiba.

"In Hong Kong people are crazy because it is proof to the whole world that we are capable" of winning Olympic titles, added the foilist, adding: "We are after all just a city. ".

In 1996, for the previous gold medal of Hong Kong, it was still only a British colony and it was the "God save the Queen" which had resounded in Atlanta.

In 1997, the year of Cheung's birth, Hong Kong was ceded to China: it is therefore the Chinese anthem that we heard on Monday in Chiba.

- "We are Hong Kong" -

His victory had an incredible echo in his native island where huge pro-democracy protests took place in 2019, violently repressed by the local police.

# photo1

Hundreds of people gathered in a shopping center to watch the Olympic men's foil final on television, before exploding with joy and, for some, popping champagne corks.

At the time of the official medal ceremony, when the Chinese anthem was blown on television, it was covered by the chants of spectators shouting "We are Hong Kong".

On the side of pro-Chinese leaders, Cheung's victory was an opportunity to publish several press releases congratulating him, the head of the Hong Kong executive Carrie Lam making a video call to tell him in person.

"We are delighted that with his exceptional skills and composure, as well as his perseverance in the face of adversity during competition, he has managed to make Hong Kong history," she said afterwards.

Pro-democracy leaders, many of whom have emigrated since the 2019 movement, also reacted to the fencer gold medal.

Activist Frances Hui posted a video of the medal ceremony, during which the Chinese national anthem is heard replaced by a popular song within the pro-democracy movement.

Nathan Law, another pro-democracy leader, who fled to Britain last year, for his part wrote: "Thanks to Ka-long for telling Hong Kongers who are in a bad way that the effort and perseverance pays off ".

© 2021 AFP