▲ South Korean athletes encourage one another after losing to Hong Kong in the men's team foil semifinal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 25.
The South Korean men's foil fencing team has won the bronze medal in the team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The men's foil team, consisting of Yoon Jung-hyun, Lee Kwang-hyun, and Lim Chul-woo (all from Hwaseong City Hall) along with Kim Tae-hwan (Chungnam Sports Council), lost 41-45 to Hong Kong in the tournament's semifinal match held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 25.
South Korea had won consecutive gold medals in the men's team foil event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (held in 2023), but had to settle for a bronze medal this time after falling in the semifinals.
In Asian Games fencing, bronze medals are awarded to both semifinal losers without a separate third-place playoff.
Yoon Jung-hyun, who also claimed a bronze medal in the individual event held on September 22, teamed up with his colleagues to secure another bronze in the team event, finishing his debut Asian Games with two medals.
Fencing team events use a single-elimination tournament format, with brackets determined by seeds assigned based on the individual rankings of each country's participants.
Seeded second and receiving a bye through the round of 16, South Korea faced an early crisis in the quarterfinals against Taiwan, falling behind 10-15 in the early stages.
However, same-age peers born in 1993, Lim Chul-woo and Lee Kwang-hyun, showcased their resilience in the fourth and fifth rounds to turn the match around to 25-24. Trailing 29-30 in the seventh round, Lim Chul-woo stepped onto the strip again, restricted Ryan Choi to just 2 points, reached 35 points first to shift the momentum, and secured their spot in the semifinals.
Hong Kong presented a tougher challenge, featuring Cheung Ka Long, the individual champion of the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, alongside Ryan Choi, last year's world championship winner.
South Korea fell behind early as Lee Kwang-hyun lost 2-5 to Harry Ho in the first round, and the deficit widened to 2-10 after the second round where Lim Chul-woo faced Ryan Choi.
Down 6-15 after the third round featuring Yoon Jung-hyun and Cheung Ka Long, South Korea substituted Kim Tae-hwan for Lim Chul-woo in the fourth round, but the gap widened to double digits at 20-9.
Yoon Jung-hyun put up a strong fight against Ryan Choi in the sixth round to narrow the score to 20-26, but after giving up four consecutive points, the gap widened again to 20-30. Despite a fierce final push by Lee Kwang-hyun in the ninth round that closed the deficit to just 2 points (41-43), they were ultimately unable to overturn the result.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.