WUXI, China, June 22 (silubaba) -- Japan defeated South Korea 45-38 in the men's foil team final, winning its fourth gold medal when the 2023 Asian Fencing Championships concluded here on Thursday.
Ha Tae-gyu beat Takahiro Shikine 5-1 to give South Korea an 8-6 lead in the second bout. Yet Kazuki Iimura and Kyosuke Matsuyama put Japan ahead 20-19 after fourth bout, and the Japanese never looked back.
Japan took the throne in Asia as they won four gold, one silver and two bronze medals to top the medal tally, following by South Korea (3-5-4) and China (2-3-6).
In the women's sabre team event, host China lost to South Korea 45-40 in the final, failing to earn any title on three days of team competitions.
"We did win two individual golds this time, but team events are more important for us in order to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. We should do better in the upcoming World Championships, I know it's harder but we must fight for Pairs," said Wang Haibin, president of the Chinese Fencing Association.
The 2023 Fencing World Championships will be held on July 22-30.
China, who saw off Japan in the semifinals, built up a 20-12 lead after four rounds and looked confident for an easy final victory. However, Jeon Eun-hye outscored Shao Yaqi 11-4 in the sixth round as South Korea overtook the lead 30-29.
Jeon beat Fu Ying 5-1 to extend the lead to eight points in the eighth round, securing the victory for South Korea. ■
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