Cheung was studying at elite schools including Ying Wa College and Lam Tai Fai College before becoming a full-time athlete. When he was at Form 4, at just 15 years old, he participated in the 2014 Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in Amman, Jordan, with the Hong Kong Fencing Team, and even secured some historic achievements, including gold medals in individual and team foil, in both junior and cadet categories.

After completing the Championships, Cheung decided to quit his studies to solely focus on playing fencing, preparing himself for an athletic career.  

Currently ranked number 19th in the world, Cheung is expected to receive a career-high ranking after his win at the Tokyo Games. But prior to winning the Olympic gold medal, Cheung is already a top Hong Kong fencer who has been recognised for his talent and dedication. In addition to the above-mentioned awards at the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in Amman, the fencing talent also won a bronze medal in team foil at the 2014 Icheon Asian Games, a silver medal and bronze medal in team foil and individual foil respectively at the 2018 Jarkata Asian Games.

He also won a gold medal in individual foil at the 2016 Asian Fencing Championships and was even named Hong Kong’s Most Promising Athlete at the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards ceremony in 2016. At that time, he was only 18 years old.

In the last Games in Rio 2016, Cheung finished 11th in the round of 16. Although he didn’t make it to the final, he already made history to be the first fencing athlete from Hong Kong to enter the second round in Olympics. 

See also:  Hong Kong Swimmer Siobhan Haughey Wins Historic Olympic Silver Medal

Cheung was chosen to be a flag bearer for Team Hong Kong at the Tokyo Games along with badminton player Tse Ying-suet, leading the other Hong Kong athletes into the opening ceremony. And if you missed the ceremony, check out our article about the best moments of the night here.

Cheung loves cats almost as much as he loves fencing, as made evident from his photos shared on his Instagram account (@cheungkalongggg). The Cheung family has a ferret and four cats—three of them are an American shorthair and another one is a Ragdoll. Among them, the athlete's favourite one is undoubtedly Zimba, where he frequently posts pictures and short clips of the fluffy two-year-old American shorthair, and even created a Stories Highlights dedicated to the cat.

See also: Tatler Talks With Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong’s Silver Medal Olympic Swimmer