Wang Haibin, a once retired Chinese male foil fencer, made a brilliant comeback in recent months and stunned the world by defending his individual title at the Busan Asian Games Sunday evening and squeezed the first gold of the Asiad for China.
During the breathtaking final clash with South Korean Kim Sang-hun, who had beaten Chinese young talent Wu Hanxiong in the semifinal and was supported by hundreds of South Korean spectators, Wang Haibin's strength, experience and confidence guaranteed his victory especially when he trailed 8-11.
Wang, who upset South Korean foil hero Kim Young-ho 15-9 in the semifinal, collected unbelievable seven straight points to give China the first gold. He used to be bad tempered which had impact on his competitions. But he looked more mature in the Asian Games and made his opponents often quick-tempered in the dual.
Wang, 29 and 1.85-meter tall, began to practice fencing at the age of 12. Having been admitted into the national team in 1990, he clinched his first medal, an individual silver, at the 7th national games in Beijing in 1993.
In May 1995, Wang took his first individual champion at the World Level-A tournament in Shanghai. In October, he seized another gold at the national fencing championships in Tianjin, China.
In July 1997, he finished third at the World Fencing Championships in South Africa. In August, he collected another bronze at the World Universiade in Italy.
Wang's first Asian title came in September 1997 at the 5th Asian Men's Fencing Championships in Iran. In 1998, he got two bronze medals at the World Cup Men's Foil Bonn leg and Paris leg respectively.
At the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, Wang routed South Korean legend fencer Kim Young-ho 15-7 in the final and also helped his team to clinch the men's team foil title.
In March 1999, he claimed the individual national champion again.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Wang spearheaded China's foil team to the men's team event silver.
Wang, who retired after the 9th national games in which he finished second, went to Nanjing University to learn French, the official language in the fencing competitions.
"The study in the university has changed me a lot and helped me a lot in the sport. It tells me how to view a thing from different angles," he noted after the triumph.
"Fencing is a competing sport which needs more wisdom than stamina. University study is quite important for a fencer to improve his ability," he added.
The intense final saw a see-saw battle at the beginning as both Wang and Kim tied their score seven times. Kim continued to adopt the tactics of defense and counterattacks, which were quite effective in his win over Chinese young talent Wu Hanxiong in the semifinal. But Wang was obviously more experienced, keeping proper pace and distance with Kim.
Kim said after the match that Wang's strength and experience are beyond his imagination. "Wang played so well today and he deserved the victory."
"I will continue my fencing career until the 2004 Athens Olympic Games," he said.
( September 30, 2002)
