Ryan Choi Chun-yin staged a fabulous comeback to win his top-of-the-bill bout against Miles Chamley-Watson in the inaugural World Fencing League on Saturday night local time in Los Angeles.

Reigning foil world champion Choi trailed Chamley-Watson for long periods of the two-minute contest, but he ultimately hit back from 10-7 behind to claim a 16-13 victory and US$10,000 prize.

Also captain of Team Shield, whose competitors won five of the six match-ups with their Team Blade rivals to claim the first WFL trophy, Choi said: “Today has been a breakthrough for fencing. We all came to win and for the money, but most importantly [we came for] a revolution.”

The brainchild of American 2016 Olympic foil team bronze medallist Chamley-Watson, the WFL featured 12 elite athletes across the épée, foil and sabre disciplines competing in mixed-gender teams.

After the first event unfolded in front of a sold-out Shrine Auditorium and Exhibition Hall crowd that included seven-times F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Chamley-Watson said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better team, opponents or audience.

“It felt like being back at the Olympics or even better ... but this is just the beginning.”

More to follow