PARIS - Vivian Kong Man-wai of Hong Kong, China clinched the women's epee individual gold at the Paris Olympic Games on Saturday, after beating home fencer Auriane Mallo-Breton 13-12.

World No 1 Kong eased into the women's epee individual final, taking on Mallo-Breton, who defeated Eszter Muhari of Hungary. Kong overcame a slow 5-0 start in front of a packed home crowd at the Grand Palais to tie at 12-12 after competition time ran out.

The 30-year-old then won with the final strike to take a 13-12 victory and claim Hong Kong's second Olympic fencing gold, following Cheung Ka Long's men's foil individual gold in Tokyo.

"Being able to fence in this palace has always been one of my dreams. I think it's so beautiful. It's where fencing should be," said Kong. "[Mallo-Breton] is an amazing fencer. She's a really tough opponent. I'm going to eat and sleep and then hopefully when I wake up it's still true."

Muhari took home the bronze medal.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Kong and her coach for the win, noting that this was the first medal won by the Hong Kong, China delegation in the Paris Games.

"As with many members of the public, I have been cheering for Vivian Kong. We are thrilled that with her outstanding performance, superb fencing skills and perseverance during the competition, she has earned the well-deserved gold medal,” Lee said in a statement.

“She has once again made history for Hong Kong fencing and proved the extraordinary capabilities of Hong Kong athletes, making all Hong Kong people proud. I wish the Hong Kong, China delegation will continue to achieve remarkable results in other events and unleash their potential to win honor for Hong Kong," he added.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, who is attending the Games in Paris, also congratulated Kong and her team and shared in the joy of their triumph.

“Witnessing the triumphant moment firsthand, I am both touched and delighted by her performance and demeanor of a great athlete,” Yeung said.

Convenor of the non-official members of the Executive Council Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said Kong triumphed at international competitions with great perseverance and determination and took top slot in the world rankings by overcoming her injuries and enhancing her skills.

"She demonstrated exceptional skills during the match of the Olympic Games, capturing the gold medal and writing a glorious page in Hong Kong's fencing history again. The people of Hong Kong are all proud of her remarkable achievement," Ip said.

Meanwhile, the title defenses for Sun Yiwen of China and Hungary's Aron Szilagyi were both cut short early on Saturday as Kong and South Korea's Oh Sang-uk both took historic golds.

Tokyo gold medalist Sun, who also has a team silver and an individual bronze from Rio 2016, faced off against Miho Yoshimura of Japan in the round of 32. The two tied at 13-13 as time ran out, before Yoshimura scored the final strike with 48 seconds left to win 14-13, which Sun claimed was a hit on Yoshimura herself.

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According to the technical rules, no appeal can be made against the decision of the referee regarding a point of fact, or the fencer will be penalized for casting doubt on the decision of the referee, which ended up dashing Sun's dream of a historic third consecutive podium finish in the individual event.

In the men's sabre individual, Szilagyi's quest for a fourth consecutive gold in the discipline was shattered early in the round of 32 as he lost to Fares Arfa of Canada 15-8.

"I'm in a bit of shock right now, so I'm not even disappointed or angry at myself yet. It happened so fast, and I've never thought that my individual competition here in Paris would be so short," Szilagyi said.

"Of course, we will watch my match again to understand what really happened, but after some time. Then I'll think of the team event," added the 34-year-old, who will be vying for a second team medal on July 31, following a bronze in Tokyo.

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Five-time world champion Oh beat Tunisia's Fares Ferjani 15-11 in the final, claiming South Korea's first-ever men's sabre individual gold, following Kim Jung-hwan's two bronzes in the discipline. The 27-year-old will be looking to defend the team gold in three days.

Italy's Luigi Samele took the bronze.

China's Shen Chenpeng stunned Michele Gallo of Italy 15-6 and beat Park Sang-won of South Korea 15-11 to cruise into the quarterfinals, the first time a Chinese male sabre fencer has reached such a stage since gold medalist Zhong Man in 2008. The 22-year-old then wasted a 14-11 lead, losing to Ferjani 15-14.

The women's foil and men's epee individual events will take place on Sunday.