The South Korean women's epee team was unable to overcome China, securing a silver medal in the team event at the Asian Games. This marks a setback in their quest for a second consecutive title following their victory at the 2022 Hangzhou Games and ends Song Se-ra's bid for a second gold medal in this tournament.
The team, consisting of Song Se-ra (Busan Metropolitan City Hall), Lim Tae-hee (Gyeryong City Hall), Lee Hye-in (Ulsan Metropolitan City Hall), and Yang Seung-hye (Korea National Sport University), faced China on September 25 at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, where they lost 28-45 in the final.
Having won the gold medal in the women's epee team event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games after a 21-year wait, South Korea currently holds the top spot in the world team rankings. They were strong contenders for gold but fell short against China in the final match.
The match started positively for South Korea, with Song Se-ra taking an early lead of 3-2 against Liu Chang. In the second round, Yang Seung-hye maintained a narrow 7-6 lead against Wei Si-huan.
However, the momentum shifted in the third round when Lim Tae-hee struggled against Tang Jun-yao, allowing China to take a 15-13 lead. South Korea attempted to regain control by substituting Lee Hye-in for Yang Seung-hye in the fourth round, but China extended their lead to 18-15.
In the fifth round, individual gold medalist Song Se-ra returned to the piste but could not reverse the trend, with the score widening to 22-17. By the end of the sixth round, South Korea trailed 27-21. After the seventh round, the gap increased to 35-25, favoring China. Despite efforts to close the gap, South Korea finished with 28 points while China reached 45.
Song Se-ra, who won a gold medal in the individual epee event on September 22, added a silver medal to her collection but fell short of her goal to achieve a double victory in the team event.
In total, South Korean fencing secured two gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals at this tournament, with men's sabre and women's foil team events scheduled for September 26, where the men's sabre team aims for a fourth consecutive Asian Games title.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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