Jeon Ha-young (Seoul City Hall), the leading figure of South Korea's women's sabre fencing who failed to stand on the podium in the individual event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, expressed regret over strategic missteps and vowed to seek redemption in the team event.

Speaking to reporters after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games individual event at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 24, Jeon reflected, "I wanted it so badly, and perhaps because I was so nervous, it ended with a disappointing finish."

Jeon missed out on a medal after losing 11-15 to Lao Xinyi (China) in the quarterfinals that day.

As a member of the South Korean team that won the silver medal in the women's sabre team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jeon subsequently rose to No. 1 in the world rankings and currently holds the 11th spot, the highest in Asia, raising expectations as a medal favorite for this tournament.

After defeating Shreya Gupta (India) 15-6 in the round of 16, Jeon held a relatively comfortable lead in the middle stages of the quarterfinals against Lao Xinyi, but suffered a comeback defeat, ending her first-ever Asian Games individual event with regret.

Jeon looked back, saying, "I should have stuck with what I was doing in the first half, but some doubt crept in and I chose a different action. I should have continued to play aggressively, but I grew afraid of getting countered once I attacked, so I switched to a defensive approach."

Regarding the temporary suspension of the match in the latter half of the quarterfinals due to an injury sustained by Lao Xinyi, she noted, "My opponent got hurt after overextending her leg, but that wasn't what affected my game. No matter what the opponent did, I should have maintained my composure, and ultimately I think it was my fault."

Only up to two athletes per country are allowed to compete in the Asian Games individual event.

With Jeon eliminated in the quarterfinals and Kim Jung-mi (Ansan City Hall) in the round of 16 that day, South Korea failed to produce a medalist in the women's sabre individual event for the first time since the event was introduced at the Asian Games in 2002.

The women's sabre national team will aim to restore their pride in the team event on September 27.

"It is impossible not to feel pressure when competing in the Asian Games, but I figured it is a position where one naturally feels it, so I tried not to pay attention to it as much as possible while preparing," Jeon resolved. "I will forget about this quickly, and since there is still time, I will prepare hard with a fresh mindset to win the gold medal in the team event."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)