A shocking defeat, holding back tears as the "world's number one"... "We lost cleanly." Already vowing revenge in fencing 女 epee [Tokoname on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"Losing cleanly means we have more to prepare for moving forward."

Song Se-ra (33, Busan Metropolitan City Government), the eldest member of the South Korean women's epee national team, said with a forced smile. This came shortly after the team lost to China in the women's team epee final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 25th, settling for a silver medal. Led by Song Se-ra, South Korea—comprising Lee Hye-in (31, Ulsan Metropolitan City Government), Im Tae-hee (24, Gyeongju City Government), and Yang Seung-hye (20, Korea National Sport University)—was decisively defeated by China with a score of 28-45. Both the bid for back-to-back Asian Games team titles and Song Se-ra's attempt to win a double crown in this tournament ended in failure.

Given the high expectations, the disappointment and shock were equally great. South Korea's women's epee national team holds the world's number one ranking. Song Se-ra had already reached the individual title three days prior. Her journey from the round of 16 to the final was also unstoppable. Although the quarterfinal against Japan proved challenging, she dominated opponents in subsequent matches against Singapore and advanced to the final, boosting hopes for victory.

South Korea faced China fiercely from the early stages of the final. However, instead of scoring five points first before moving to the next round, matches increasingly ended with time expiring before transitioning to the next round. From mid-game onward, the gap gradually widened, eventually exceeding double digits. As South Korea's chances dimmed, they collapsed by a significant 17-point margin without achieving a turnaround. It was a "shocking defeat."

After the match, all players wore somber expressions. While a silver medal is undoubtedly a valuable achievement, their focus remained on gold, making the sense of loss even greater. Memories of their shared efforts to win gold in this tournament resurfaced. Standing before reporters, each player visibly struggled to hold back tears.

Song Se-ra was no exception. She attempted to lighten the mood with exaggerated gestures and expressions but could not fully conceal her disappointment and regret. Song stated, "We prepared extensively and endured many difficult training sessions. I think our defeat stemmed from making more mistakes than expected given our preparation. Today was Chuseok. We wanted to bring you gold, but it ended in disappointment."

She continued, "Defeat is always disappointing. Personally, I wanted to win gold together with my teammates, but I feel my skills were insufficient. As an older sister, I should have done more, and that's where I fell short," she said, bowing her head. Lee Hye-in, the second-oldest member, added, "We prepared hard to win first place, so it's regrettable we ended up second. My teammates worked incredibly hard, and I want to acknowledge their efforts."

However, they could not dwell endlessly on the already concluded result. Song remarked, "Losing cleanly means we now have even more to prepare for. It's as if new homework has been assigned. We must prepare more solidly; when we meet China again, winning is the goal. There is no room to retreat anymore. We should focus only on moving forward and preparing accordingly," she encouraged her younger teammates. Im Tae-hee also clenched his teeth, saying, "We received a great gift—a silver medal—at our first Asian Games. But if we compete again next time, we will work harder to improve and deliver even better performances."

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*This content was translated by AI.