🇰🇷 KOREA EDGES CHINA IN EXTRAORDINARY ONE-TOUCH THRILLER TO SECURE ASIAN EPEE GOLD

NEW DELHI, INDIA — 24 JUNE 2026

The Korean women’s epee powerhouse brought the curtain down on the 2026 Asian Fencing Championships with a tactical classic, culminating and breathtaking team gold medal. Competing on the final day of action in New Delhi, World number one Korea successfully defended their continental crown by outlasting close rivals China 44–43 in a dramatic, point-for-point gold medal epic.

The structural masterpiece cements Korea’s complete dominance over the discipline, marking their fifth Asian team title in the last six years. The gold medal adds to a stellar international campaign that features a prestigious silver medal from the Heidenheim World Cup earlier in the season.

While China fought magnificently to claim a hard-earned silver medal, World number 18 Kazakhstan made monumental national history by defeating Singapore to secure the bronze.

Path to the Podium

Team Korea, fielding a premier roster of Lee Hyein, Lim Taehee, Song Sera and Yang Seunghye, received an initial opening bye before safely turning aside Chinese Taipei 45–38 in the quarter-finals.

The top seeds put on a clinical display of aggressive epee fencing in their semi-final match against Kazakhstan. The Koreans charged out to an immediate 15–9 cushion after the opening three legs and systematically broke the match open to lead 30–17 after six. Daria Samodelkina came off the bench in the seventh leg for Kazakhstan to halt the bleeding with a tight 4-4 bout against Lee but the temporary reprieve was not enough to stop the relentless Koreans from sealing a dominant 45–29 win.

The gold medal match against China was an absolute masterpiece of patience and high-stakes execution. The two heavyweights stood completely deadlocked at 10–10 after the opening three legs and remained inseparable at 25–25 after six. The definitive shift occurred in the seventh leg as Lee produced a masterful tactical push to outscore Tang Yunyao 10–8, vaulting Korea into a 35–33 advantage. Lim and Yang Jingwen shared six points evenly in the penultimate leg, leaving Korea hanging onto a narrow 38–36 edge going into the final leg. Chinese anchor Yu Sihan launched a frantic all-out assault to outscore Korean star Song 7–6 in a nerve-shredding finale but the defending champions held their nerve to protect the single-touch margin.

Team China, represented by Liu Chang, Tang Yunyao, Yang Jingwen and Yu Sihan, earned the silver medal to mark their third consecutive continental final appearance against Korea. The World number seven seeds opened their account by crushing Vietnam 45–17 before surviving a competitive 45–40 quarter-final encounter against Uzbekistan to set up a semi-final clash with Singapore.

China struck early against the underdogs, manufacturing a swift 12–6 lead after three legs and pushing that cushion out to 28–17 after six. However, Singapore refused to go away quietly. Esther Tan initiated a stunning seventh-leg revival for Singapore, executing a brilliant 8–3 run to cut the deficit. Singaporean anchor Elle Meihui Koh stepped onto the strip trailing by seven touches and launched a blistering attack, outscoring Yu 13–10 in a furious final leg but the early Chinese buffer proved just large enough to see China through to a 45–41 victory.

Team Kazakhstan, utilising an inspired line-up of Vladislava Andreyeva, Irina Bakaldina, Daria Samodelkina and Sofiya Nikolaichuk, celebrated a massive historic milestone by capturing the bronze medal. This marks Kazakhstan's first ever Asian Championship medal in the women's team epee discipline, securing their maiden podium of the season. The underdogs booked their place in the medal rounds by routing Thailand 45–22 and pulling off a thrilling 45–42 quarter-final upset over World number 17 Japan.

Following their semi-final loss to Korea, the Kazakhs out-dueled Singapore 42–39 in a wildly entertaining bronze medal play-off. The two teams battled to a 12–12 stalemate across the opening three legs before Andreyeva broke the match open in the fourth leg, executing a brilliant 8–3 run over Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman to establish a 26–23 Kazakh lead with three fights remaining. Singapore fought back tenaciously to close the gap to 32–30 heading into the anchor leg. The final bout turned into an explosive, high-scoring shootout but individual champion Bakaldina showed immense composure to edge past Koh 10–9 and secure the historic bronze.

Team Singapore, fielding a competitive roster of Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman, Elle Meihui Koh, Esther Tan and Denise Ning Yi Seah, had to settle for a heart-breaking fourth-place finish. Despite missing out on the medal circle, the World number 21 squad put together an exceptional tournament path, subduing the Philippines 45–34 and shocking World number 13 Hong Kong 45–38 to log Singapore's best ever team result at the Asian Championships.

Full results are here.