Ryan Choi, Hong Kong’s world fencing champion-turned-pop star, is still “on his mettle”

His ascent was hard-earned. Choi reached the last 16 at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but a difficult Paris qualification cycle brought a string of poor results and, ultimately, he failed to secure a berth at the 2024 Games. The setback could have defined him; instead, it became his fuel.

“The pressure [of failure] is a double-edged sword,” he says. “It can easily drive you into the ground, but it can also lift you to the top. I’ve learnt to accept it.” What followed was a period of quiet recalibration: a sharpened focus on training that laid groundwork for the season in which he rewrote Hong Kong fencing history.

As his reputation has grown, so too has the weight of expectation. At the time of our conversation, Choi had just claimed a historic silver medal at the 2026 Fencing World Championships alongside Hong Kong’s men’s foil team, competing with an inner thigh injury. More pressing than the physical toll, though, was the responsibility to his teammates and the Hong Kong public.

“Team events carry a heavier burden than individual ones,” he says. “Especially as the anchor—the last to fence. The last thing I wanted was to let everyone down.” 

To help manage the stress of responsibility, Choi found a new way to unwind: in March, he surprised everyone with the release of his debut Canto-pop single My Most Hated Male Singer. 

In the music video for the song, Choi gives a tender, heartfelt performance while presenting a sartorial side rarely seen on the piste—in a sleek, slim-cut black suit. Then, following the release of1206 , a collaboration with member of boy group Mirror and Choi’s university roommate Edan Lui, he released his second solo effort, Unknown Cause of Death, in June. For that music video, in which girl group Collar’s Ivy So plays his girlfriend, his wardrobe features softer casual wear, reflecting the song’s emotional register. 

His passion for singing grew from a simple hobby. In his spare time, Choi would turn to karaoke-style apps and record himself singing—until friends who heard him urged him to make more of his talent.

“At first I thought they were just being kind,” he says, but the encouragement was continuous, and eventually he decided to give it a proper try. “Sometimes, believing you can do something is enough to unlock a side of yourself you never knew existed.”

Read more: 7 male perfumes that women can make their own

Choi’s focus is now firmly on the 20th Asian Games in Japan this month. Alongside his preparations on the piste, he has recorded an official Asian Games theme song, Break Through The Sky, with Hong Kong singer-songwriter Phil Lam. “It’s an uplifting song, written to encourage athletes,” he says with a shy smile—rousing words don’t come quite as naturally to him in conversation as they do in this song. 

In person, Choi is a man of few words. His determination only reveals itself in the composure he shows under pressure and the quiet precision of his goals: first, gold in Japan, and beyond that, the Los Angeles Olympics.

“The Olympics is the highest stage there is for any athlete,” he says. “If I make it [to the 2028 Games], I want to do everything I can to win medals with my teammates and make Hong Kong proud.”

Credits: 

Content Director: Tara Sobti
Editor: Cathy Huang
Creative Direction: Zoe Yau
Photography: Alexander Yeung
Styling: Anthony Tong
Hair: Lupus Chui @huehair
Make Up: Wing Chan
Production: Carlos Hui
Styling Assistant: Joey Wong
Photography Assistants: Victor Tang, Paco Luk, Kaf Wong
Videographer: Zed Leets

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