Vivian Kong Wins World Championship Épée Bronze

Hong Kong fencer Vivian Kong has won bronze in the women's individual épée at the World Fencing Championships in Cairo, her second world medal after her bronze in Budapest in 2019.

Kong fought her way to the semi-finals on Monday, July 18, the opening night of the championships, where she lost 14-9 to South Korea's Song Sera, who went on to take the title. On the way she beat Italy's world champion Mara Navarria 12-11 in the quarter-finals. There is no bronze-medal bout in fencing, so Kong shares third place with Italy's Rossella Fiamingo, according to the International Fencing Federation. Germany's Alexandra Ndolo took silver.

The Hong Kong Sports Institute confirmed it was her second world championship bronze, and Hong Kong sports secretary Kevin Yeung congratulated her on a "well-deserved" medal alongside men's foil bronze medallist Cheung Ka-long.

Kong's plant-based story started with a serious injury. After surgery on her anterior cruciate ligament in 2017 she finally made the switch she had been considering for years, despite skepticism from fellow athletes and her family. She told the South China Morning Post that the change played a big part in her recovery and her return to the top of her sport. Within a year of the operation she was Asian champion.

I can be an example to show it's possible, and it's more motivation for me to work harder, have better results, and tell my story about how eating plant-based foods made me better and made me feel better too.

We first covered Kong when she won Asian Championship épée gold in 2018, and again when she won the Havana World Cup and her first world bronze in 2019. Earlier this month plant-based tennis star Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title.

Two world medals, powered by plants.