Chinese fencer Lei ready to defend Olympic crown

China's Olympic fencing champion Lei Sheng said he wants to make an happy ending in his last Olympic trip.

Lei, 32, surprisingly won the first foil gold medal four years ago in London, making him a main target for other competitors this time, reports Xinhua.

"I had overcome the jet lag and the climate problem after training in Sao Paulo. I am in good shape right now and I can't wait to face the challenge in Rio," said Lei.

"I am working hard on physical training and trying to move faster in attack modes. I did some special training to prepare for the tournament when I face up shorter opponents," he added.

The Chinese fencing team had a one-week training camp in Sao Paulo before arriving in Rio on Monday afternoon.

Ye Chong, the head coach of the Chinese men's foil team, said he specially arranged afternoon training to solve the jet lag since they came to Brazil.

"Brazi's afternoon is the early morning in China. So it is the toughest training time for our athletes in Brazil," said Ye, who won the silver medal as a member of the Chinese foil team in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

It will be Lei's third Olympics and he knows the it is too far at his age.

"Rio is most likely my last time to compete in Olympics. I want to enjoy it and finish it with a good result," Lei said.

The men's foil individual competition begins on August 7 at the Carioca Arena 3.

--IANS

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