Nicholas Choi

{{short description|Hong Kong fencer}} {{Infobox fencer | name = Nicholas Choi | image = Nicholas Edward Choi CIP 2015 teams t084152.jpg | caption = Choi in 2015 | birth_name = | fullname = Nicholas Edward Choi | nickname = | nationality = | residence = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|01|20|df=yes}} | birth_place = British Hong Kong | weapon = foil | hand = right-handed | height = {{convert|1.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|65|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | natlcoach = | formercoach = | club = | headcoach = | country = | retired = | fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/20789 current ranking] | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's Foil}} {{MedalCountry | {{HKG}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Grand Prix}} {{MedalBronze | 2018 Anaheim | Individual}} {{MedalCompetition|Asian Games}} {{Medal|Silver| 2018 Jakarta | Individual }} {{Medal|Silver| 2018 Jakarta | Team }} {{MedalBronze | 2014 Incheon | Team}} {{MedalBronze | 2022 Hangzhou | Team}} {{MedalCompetition|Asian Championships}} {{MedalSilver|2018 Bangkok|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2011 Seoul|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2012 Wakayama|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2013 Shanghai|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2014 Suwon|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2015 Singapore|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2016 Wuxi|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2017 Hong Kong|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|East Asian Games}} {{MedalGold|2013 Tianjin|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2013 Tianjin|Individual}} }}

'''Nicholas Edward Choi''' ({{zh|c=崔浩然|j=ceoi1 hou5 jin4}}, born 20 January 1993) is a Hong Kong foil fencer.<ref>[http://www.london2012.com/athlete/choi-nicholas-edward-1100138/ London2012.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730164549/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/choi-nicholas-edward-1100138/ |date=2012-07-30 }}</ref>

==Career== Choi took up fencing in 2002 while he was in primary school.<ref name="YP10">{{cite web|url=http://yp.scmp.com/news/sports/article/2005/yog-week-nicholas-edward-choi|title=YOG of the week: Nicholas Edward Choi|author=Kevin Kung|newspaper=Young Post–South China Morning Post|date=28 July 2010}}</ref> He thought that the sport was cool<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsoho.com/pg/magcontent/730191/|script-title=zh:愛上劍擊，衝出世界！|newspaper=Sport Soho|date=18 July 2010|language=zh}}</ref> because of the lights going off at each hit.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/06/25/2012-olympic-profile-hong-kongs-fencing-team/|title=2012 Olympic Profile: Hong Kong's Fencing Team|newspaper=China Real Time Report–Wall Street Journal|date=25 June 2012}}</ref> His younger sister, Natasha Erica, followed his example. When she was selected into the Hong Kong Sports Institute junior fencing team, his pride was piqued and he resolved to train harder until he was selected in his turn.<ref name="YP10" />

In 2010 he was the second-placed Asian at the Cadet World Championships in Baku, qualifying for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. He was defeated in the table of 16 by Denmark's Alexander Tsoronis and finished 9th. He was then drafted into the Hong Kong's senior fencing team and began to study at the Institute of Vocational Education, Chai Wan.<ref name="YP10" /> At the 2011 Asian Championships, he reached the quarter-finals after seeing off Olympic silver medallist Yuki Ota.

At the age of 19, Choi qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics as the second-ranked Asian, becoming the youngest fencer to represent Hong Kong at the Olympics.<ref name="YP12">{{cite news |url=http://yp.scmp.com/news/sports/article/3948/fencer-makes-olympic-mark|title=Fencer makes Olympic mark |author=Kevin Kung |newspaper=Young Post–South China Morning Post |date=23 May 2012}}</ref> Despite losing in the first round to Romania's Radu Dărăban,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics|title= Nicholas Edward Choi |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=11 September 2012}}</ref> he received a “Hong Kong Potential Sports Star Award” for his achievement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportstar2014.hkolympic.org/site/pastWinners|title=Past winners|publisher=Samsung Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards|access-date=2015-02-04|archive-date=2015-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414062853/http://sportstar2014.hkolympic.org/site/pastWinners|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2018, Choi won two silver medals in the men's foil individual and team event at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is the best-ever result of Hong Kong fencers. He retired shortly after the competition but announced his return in April 2021, targeting for Paris Olympics.<ref name="fencing_result_book_asian_games_2018">{{Cite web |title=Fencing Results Book |url=http://www.ocagames.com/orb/files/4/78/AG2018_OfficialResultBook_Fencing_v1.0.pdf|website=2018 Asian Games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508184225/http://www.ocagames.com/orb/files/4/78/AG2018_OfficialResultBook_Fencing_v1.0.pdf|archive-date=8 May 2020|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="indonesia_watches_on_asian_games_2018">{{Cite news |last=Etchells |first=Daniel |date=21 August 2018|title=Indonesia President watches on as home favourite Irawan claims weightlifting gold at 2018 Asian Games |work=InsideTheGames.biz |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1069074/indonesia-president-watches-on-as-home-favourite-irawan-claims-weightlifting-gold-at-2018-asian-games|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life== Choi is a mixed-race child of Chinese, Korean and Filipino descent (father is Chinese-Korean mixed, mother is Filipino). His father is the leader of the Hong Kong fencing team; his elder sister serves as the head of English at a Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary school on Lantau Island;<ref>{{cite news |title=港隊劍擊花美男！崔建邦新女細佬來頭勁|date=18 April 2018|work=|publisher=Oriental Daily News|url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/entertainment/20180418/bkn-20180418233949687-0418_00862_001.html|access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=崔建邦新女友系出名門胞弟崔浩然為港隊劍擊花美男|date=19 April 2018|work=|publisher=Ming Pao|url=https://ol.mingpao.com/ldy/showbiz/latest/20180419/1524131747400/崔建邦新女友系出名門-胞弟崔浩然為港隊劍擊花美男|access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=媾掂靚Miss 崔建邦新歡噴血照曝光|date=28 April 2018|work=|publisher=East Week|url=https://eastweek.my-magazine.me/main/77376|accessdate=28 March 2021}}</ref> and his younger twin sister Natasha Choi was also a fencing player.<ref>{{cite news |title=酷爆帥哥劍鬥士|url=http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/sports/art/20100601/14088291|newspaper=Apple Daily|date=1 June 2010}}</ref> Choi studied at Lam Tai Fai College and took the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) in 2010. He was a candidate for the last cohort of the HKCEE. He is a friend of Jackson Wang, a former member of the Hong Kong Fencing Team and the Korean group Got7.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150204222849/http://2012og.hkolympic.org/athlete/1028 Nicholas Edward Choi] at the Hong Kong Fencing Federation (archived) * {{FIE|name=Nicholas Edward Choi}} * {{2022 Asian Games profile|fencing/athlete-profile-n2023443-choi-nicholas-edward|Nicholas Edward Choi}} * {{Olympics.com|nicholas-edward-choi|Nicholas Edward Choi}} * {{Olympedia|name=Nicholas Choi}} * {{InterSportStats|name=Nicholas Choi}} * {{Instagram|name=Nicholas Edward Choi}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Nicholas}} Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:Hong Kong male foil fencers Category:Olympic fencers for Hong Kong Category:Fencers at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics Category:Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Category:Asian Games fencers for Hong Kong Category:Asian Games silver medalists for Hong Kong Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for Hong Kong Category:Asian Games silver medalists in fencing Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in fencing Category:Fencers at the 2014 Asian Games Category:Fencers at the 2018 Asian Games Category:Fencers at the 2022 Asian Games Category:Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Category:Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Category:Medalists at the 2022 Asian Games Category:Hong Kong people of Korean descent Category:Hong Kong people of Filipino descent Category:21st-century Hong Kong people