(Asiad) S. Korean fencers finish Asian Games with 4 golds, eye 2028 Olympics
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's fencing team wrapped up its Asian Games campaign with four gold medals, its lowest haul in 16 years, leaving behind both achievements and challenges ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
South Korea captured four golds, four silvers and two bronzes in the fencing competition, which ran from Tuesday to Sunday at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, south of Nagoya.
In the fencing medal table, South Korea finished second behind host Japan, which won six golds, two silvers and three bronzes.
It was the first time South Korea had lost the top position in fencing at the Asian Games since 2010, when the country first rose to the top with seven gold medals.
Since then, South Korea had remained atop the standings, winning eight golds in 2014, and six each in 2018 and 2023.
Members of the South Korean men's sabre team celebrates their victory after winning the event's final at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, some 35 kilometers south of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 26, 2026. (Yonhap)
The host country's strength was widely expected, as Japan's fencing has made its presence felt on the world stage since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Japan won five fencing medals, including two golds, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and most of its Olympians competed at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
For South Korea, fencing officials said the four-gold haul was broadly in line with expectations.
Sabre fencer Oh Sang-uk demonstrated his strength by defending his individual title and helping the country win its fourth consecutive gold in the men's sabre team event.
Song Se-ra won gold in the women's epee individual title, while the women's sabre team claimed the gold medal for the first time in eight years.
The men's epee team took a surprise silver after beating Japan, the defending Asiad champion and Olympic silver medalist, in the semifinals.
Members of the South Korean women's sabre fencing team celebrate their victory after winning gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, on Sept. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)
With the Asian Games completed, South Korean fencing is shifting its focus to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with two years remaining.
South Korea won the gold medal in the men's sabre individual and team events, and the silver medal in the women's sabre team at the Paris Olympics.
"We will set up our Olympic preparation plans in close cooperation with the federation, coaches and the sponsoring company as soon as possible," an official from the Korean Fencing Federation said.
"We will continue to use the artificial intelligence (AI) analysis program that helped our performance at the Asian Games, and provide substantial medical and mental healthcare programs."
South Korea's Song Se-ra celebrates her victory in the final against Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman of Singapore in the women's individual epee fencing event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, some 35 kilometers south of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 22, 2026. (Yonhap)
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