🇯🇵 JAPANESE FOIL PROGRAMME DEFENDS ASIAN TITLE WITH THRILLING WIN OVER HONG KONG

NEW DELHI, INDIA — 24 JUNE 2026

The Japanese men’s foil powerhouse put a magnificent exclamation mark on the final day of the 2026 Asian Fencing Championships, capturing a superb team gold medal. Competing in New Delhi, World number five Japan showcased their depth and tactical execution to out-point an exceptionally competitive Hong Kong squad 45–39 in a stellar gold medal showdown.

The victory caps off a dominant year for the reigning champions, who successfully defended their continental title to make it five Asian crowns in the last six years. The gold adds to an elite international season that features World Cup bronze medals in Fukuoka and Paris.

While Hong Kong upgraded last year’s bronze to a hard-earned silver medal, World number seven

China secured the bronze to hand Korea a fourth-place finish.

Path to the Podium

Team Japan, fielding a premier roster of individual silver medallist Iimura Kazuki, Baba Shunsuke, newly crowned individual champion Matsuyama Kyosuke and Ono Ryoga, received an initial opening bye before turning aside Thailand 45–27. They advanced through the quarter-finals by subduing Uzbekistan 45–31, then put on a masterclass in aggressive distance control to dismantle China 45–31 in the semi-finals.

The gold medal match against Hong Kong lived up to its heavyweight billing. Featuring a spectacular array of world-class foil talent, the Japanese athletes maintained their composure through several high-octane exchanges, managing the scoring boxes beautifully to stave off their rivals and lock down the 45–39 victory.

Team Hong Kong, represented by global icon Cheung Ka Long, Choi Chun Yin Ryan, Ho Shing Him Harris and Leung Chin Yu, secured the silver medal to add to an incredibly consistent season featuring Cairo World Cup silver and Istanbul World Cup bronze. Seeded fourth, they launched their direct elimination campaign by obliterating Nepal 45–6 before dismantling hosts India 45–22 in front of a passionate crowd.

They booked their spot in the final by out-pointing Korea 45–36 in a highly tactical semi-final encounter but they could not quite find the crucial late-bout adjustments required to solve the Japanese defence in the main event.

Team China, utilising a disciplined line-up of Guo Yifan, Lyu Weiqiao, Xu Jie and Zeng Zhairan, celebrated a welcome milestone by capturing their first international podium spot of the season. The bronze medal continues an impressive run of regional consistency, marking China's fourth consecutive podium finish at the Asian Championships. Following an opening bye, they survived a highly competitive 45–42 quarter-final battle against World number 21 Singapore before falling to Japan.

In the bronze medal match, the Chinese squad completely locked down the strip to defeat Korea 45–36. China broke the match wide open right out of the blocks, manufacturing a dominant 14–5 lead by the conclusion of the opening three legs. Korea fared slightly better across a cagey middle third, but the Chinese athletes still protected a commanding 30–17 cushion after six relays.

The advantage grew to a massive 16 hits at 40–24 heading into the final fight. Korean anchor Youn Jeonghyun put on an absolutely stellar lone performance in the anchor leg, launching a furious assault to outscore Xu 12–5 but the early Chinese damage proved far too severe to overcome.

Team Korea, consisting of individual bronze medallist Youn Jeonghyun, Lee Kwanhyun, individual bronze medallist Im Cheolwoo and Kim Tae Hwan, suffered deep frustration to finish in fourth place. While the World number 14 squad put together a strong morning session by routing Malaysia 45–14 and turning aside Chinese Taipei 45–32, this marks the second consecutive season that the decorated Korean programme has failed to return home with an Asian Championship team foil medal.

Full results are here.