Asian Games Song Se-ra wins gold in women's epee individual fencing
Song Se-ra of South Korea reacts after winning the gold medal in the Asian Games women's epee individual event at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, Tuesday. Yonhap
TOKONAME — South Korean fencer Song Se-ra won the gold medal in the women's epee individual event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, giving South Korea its first fencing gold at the Games in Japan.
Song defeated Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman of Singapore 15-8 in the final at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, some 35 kilometers south of the main host city of Nagoya.
It is South Korea's first gold medal in fencing at the Asian Games, which officially opened Saturday.
After winning silver at the previous Asian Games, Song moved up to the top of the podium three years later.
Bronze medals went to Tamaki Terayama of Japan and Yang Jingwen of China.
Song Se-ra of South Korea, left, competes against Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman of Singapore during their Asian Games women's epee individual final event at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, Tuesday. Yonhap
In epee fencing, fencers use a thrusting weapon that can target the entire body. In the individual event, the fencer who scores more points after three three-minute bouts wins, or the first to reach 15 points.
Compared with her tight 15-14 victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the final duel went relatively smoothly for Song.
In the first round, she gave up two points but then scored three straight to take a 3-2 lead.
She extended her lead to 10-7 in the second round and gave up only one point in the third to complete her gold medal performance.
In the men's foil individual event, South Korea's Youn Jeong-hyun took the bronze medal after losing to Choi Chun Yin Ryan of Hong Kong 13-15.
Youn is the first South Korean medalist in the discipline at the Asian Games since Song Young-ki won bronze in 2018.
In the individual fencing at the Asian Games, the two losers in the semifinals share the bronze medal without a bronze medal decider.