HANGZHOU, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) — South Korea retained their males’s foil group title with a comeback win over China, whereas their ladies fencers survived a late scare to clinch epee group gold on the Hangzhou Asian Games right here on Wednesday.
South Korea cruised into the lads’s foil group ultimate with straightforward wins over Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, China, whereas China upset world No. 1 Japan in a hard-fought bout to advance.
Silver medalist within the particular person occasion, Chen Haiwei put China forward within the first spherical following a gradual begin and prolonged the result in 5 factors midway by way of.
35-year-old Heo Jun tied the rating for South Korea within the sixth spherical, earlier than the ultimate went right into a sea-saw scenario. South Korea confirmed the mettle of champions finally to defeat China 45-38.
Despite lacking out on the gold, Chinese fencers delighted the house crowd at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium once they pipped Japan 45-44 within the semifinal in a replay of this yr’s World Championships ultimate, through which China misplaced 45-35.
Japan, bronze medalists from Jakarta 2018, began strongly and led all the way in which till the sixth spherical when Takahiro Shikine took on China’s Wu Bin.
The “very tricky and unpredictable” Wu, based on Japanese fencer Kazuki Ilmura, stomped a wild 13-3 efficiency to place China forward in dramatic model.
Chinese fencers stored up with an in depth benefit however have been tied at 43-all within the ultimate moments. Shikine took the match level, however Chen, who misplaced 6-1 to the identical opponent within the final spherical of the World Championships ultimate, held his nerve to win the thriller 45-44.
“I performed very well in the semifinal and gained confidence. But we then had a break of more than four hours and I couldn’t find my best form anymore,” mentioned Wu who solely made the Asiad squad two weeks in the past. “I was too hesitated to make a move in the final.”
“We gave it our all in the final,” mentioned Chen, the one individual with prior Asian Games expertise on the lads’s foil group. “Our opponents handled the details better.”
South Korea’s hero of the evening, Heo rejoiced at their dramatic win.
“I’m flying. It’s the second (Asian Games) in a row we have won it. This last match was full of fire. We were thinking like champions,” mentioned Heo. “China was very difficult to play against, they are very strong.”
In the ladies’s epee group occasion, world No. 1 South Korea overcame defending champions China within the semifinal, earlier than beating Hong Kong, China 36-34 to win gold.