The 26th Asian Senior Fencing Championship concluded with intense team finals at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Wednesday. Japan captured the men's foil team gold, while South Korea dominated the women's epee team event.
Men's Foil Team Final: Japan Outlasts Hong Kong
Japan's men's foil squad, led by individual champion Kyosuke Matsuyama along with Kazuki Iimura, Shunsuke Baba, and Ryoga Ono, displayed exceptional distance control and defensive parries to secure the gold medal. Their performance featured rapid baseline transitions and strategic blade-work, overwhelming opponents throughout the competition.
Hong Kong, anchored by two-time Olympic individual champion Cheung Ka Long, alongside Ryan Choi Chun Yin, Harris Ho Shing Him, and Leung Chin Yu, fought fiercely to earn the silver medal. China's team of Yifan Guo, Weiqiao Lyu, Jie Xu, and Zhaoran Zeng took the bronze, according to a press release from SAI Media.
Women's Epee Team: South Korea's Dominance
In the women's epee team category, South Korea's lineup of Lee, Lim, Song, and Yang delivered a dominant technical performance to capture gold. They defeated China's team of Liu, Tang, Yang, and Yu, who settled for silver. Kazakhstan's contingent of Andreyeva, Bakaldina, Samodelkina, and Nikolaichuk secured the bronze medal after a resilient tournament run.
India's Performance and Progress
Host nation India showed clear technical growth against Asia's elite fencing powers. In the men's foil team event, the Indian quartet of Sachin, Sanasam Hemash Singh, Tejas Manoj Patil, and Aditya relied on rapid blade-work and close-quarter infighting. Backed by an electric home crowd, they minimized unforced errors and secured an 8th-place finish, earning a direct qualification spot for the upcoming Asian Games.
India's women's epee team of Prachi Lohan, Taniksha Khatri, Mitva Jesangbhai Chaudhari, and Yashkeerat Kaur Hayer displayed tactical grit and structural resilience, managing the clock and distance against towering continental opponents to lock down a 9th-place ranking.
