Ryan Choi Chun-yin staged an impressive comeback to win his senior bout against Miles Chamley-Watson in the inaugural World Fencing League on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
World foil champion Choi trailed Chamley-Watson for much of the two-minute contest, but eventually hit back from 10-7 down to claim a 16-13 win and the US$10,000 prize.
Also the captain of Team Shield, whose rivals won five out of six matches and their rivals Team Blade to grab the first WFL title, Choi said: “Today has been a successful fencing. We all came to win and for money, but more importantly (we came) for a revolution.”
Chamley-Watson, the 2016 U.S. Olympic foil team bronze medalist, the WFL featured 12 elite athletes in the various disciplines of épée, foil and saber competing in cross-gender teams.
After the first event in front of a sold-out Shrine Auditorium and Exhibition Hall crowd that included seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Chamley-Watson said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better team, opponents or spectators.
“It felt like going back to the Olympics or better … but this is just the beginning.”
More to follow
