"Whoa!" Roar of a Gold Medalist Sure of Victory... "Thanks to You," Ending in Tears

[Anchor]

Victories against Japan continued at the fencing venue as well. The women's sabre national team thoroughly defeated Japan to reclaim the top spot for the first time in 8 years. The men's epee national team dramatically beat Japan to reach the final, but unfortunately fell just short at the final hurdle.

Reporter Lee Jeong-Chan has the details.

[Reporter]

Riding the momentum after crushing China 45-29 in the semifinals led by ace Jeon Ha-young, the women's sabre national team displayed dominant performance in the final showdown against Japan as well.

First runner Choi Se-bin gained early momentum by defeating Japan's ace and individual event gold medalist Emura 5-2, and Jeon Ha-young then swung her sword relentlessly to steadily widen the point gap.

Although a variable arose when 33-year-old veteran Seo Ji-yeon had to step down due to an injury just before scoring her final point, substitute Kim Jeong-mi immediately earned a point the moment she stepped onto the piste, making it 35-19 and letting out a powerful roar.

When Jeon Ha-young successively blocked Emura's attacks and landed a final thrust, the players were already certain of their victory. Completing their golden thrust with an overwhelming score of 45-31, the women's sabre national team stood at the highest step of the podium for the first time in 8 years since the Jakarta Games.

[Seo Ji-yeon/Women's Sabre National Team Member: This is likely going to be the last Asian Games of my life, and I am so happy to wear a gold medal around my neck thanks to you guys. Why do I feel like crying saying this?]

[Choi Se-bin & Kim Jeong-mi/Women's Sabre National Team Members: Are you really crying?]

Earlier, the men's epee national team dramatically defeated Japan in the semifinals to reach the final, but suffered a painful comeback loss to Kazakhstan after an overtime battle, taking home the silver medal.

With this, South Korean fencing wrapped up the competition with 4 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals.

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Nam Dong-heon, who was a key figure in winning the team silver medal in equestrian dressage two days ago, claimed first place in the individual final with a score of 75.19 points.

Nam Dong-heon became the first South Korean athlete to win gold in this event in 12 years, following Hwang Young-shik at the 2014 Incheon Games.

(Video by Park Hyun-cheol | Video Editing by Jung Sung-hoon | Design by Hwang Se-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.