Olympic Gold Medallist Vivian Kong Inspires Youth At Hong Kong Youth Development Summit

From Syed Iylia Hariz

HONG KONG, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Hong Kong's fencing queen, Vivian Kong Man-wai, who won the gold medal in the women's individual epee event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was featured at the Youth Development Summit here today.

The world number one fencer, 30, shared her insights on inspiring and empowering youth through the transformative power of positive thinking as she revealed how she channelled her nervous energy into intensive training to boost her confidence.

“Every time I was nervous, I would channel all that energy into training. The more nervous I got, the more I trained, and that gave me the confidence to perform at my best in the Olympics. I learned not to be scared or worried about the results,” Kong said during the third session entitled “Nurturing Positive Thinking Amongst Young People for a Brighter Tomorrow” at the summit.

Having been in fencing for nearly two decades, Kong triumphed in Paris despite recent injuries, including two torn cruciate ligaments and announced her retirement from professional fencing after her win.

She plans to start a new career while working towards establishing her own charity to help children rediscover joy and playfulness in sports.

With the theme "Set Sail for New Horizons," the summit acts as a significant platform for youth engagement, with over 500 international participants from regions such as China, Singapore, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand attending.

Malaysia is being represented by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli, who stressed that youth empowerment was key for future progress.

He emphasised the importance of empowering youth with the necessary tools, opportunities, and mindset to succeed during his keynote address at the summit.

-- BERNAMA