Ah! Tears of regret after a heartbreaking one-point comeback loss in the Korea-Japan match; the women's foil team, aiming for the top spot for the first time in 12 years, settles for silver... "We will run again with the LA Olympics as our goal" [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean women's foil national team (ranked 8th in the world) suffered a heartbreaking one-point comeback defeat against Japan in their match, failing to win the gold medal. South Korea appeared to be holding the gold medal in hand until the final moments of the match but ultimately allowed a painful comeback in the ninth and final round.

The Korean team, consisting of Park Ji-hee and Shim So-eun (both from Seoul Metropolitan Government Office), Mo Byeol-i (from Incheon Metropolitan Government Middle District Office), and Lee Se-ju (from Chungbuk Provincial Government Office), lost to Japan 28-29 in the final of the women's foil team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Summer Games held on the 26th at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The Korean women's foil team achieved a five-peat from the 1998 Bangkok Games through the 2014 Incheon Games. At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, they won bronze, and at the previous Hangzhou Games, they took silver. This time, they aimed to win gold for the first time since 2014 but had to settle for the future with regret.

Earlier in this tournament, South Korea defeated Macau 45-32 in the quarterfinals and then beat defending champion China 43-35 in the semifinals. They then put on a very strong performance against Japan, which was ranked third in the world and playing on home soil.

In the first round, Park Ji-hee, the individual silver medalist, trailed 3-5. However, in the second round, Mo Byeol-i secured a 6-5 comeback victory against Japanese ace Ueno Yuka, the tournament's individual gold medalist. After finishing the third round tied at 9-9, South Korea fell behind 11-13 in the fourth round, but Park Ji-hee, who returned for the fifth round, scored four consecutive points to regain momentum and take a 16-14 lead.

Momentum shifted to South Korea as Shim So-eun delivered a series of precise thrusts in the sixth round, extending their lead to five points. Mo Byeol-i maintained the lead at 22-19 in the seventh round, and Shim So-eun added four more points in the eighth round, bringing the score to 26-22 with a four-point advantage as they entered the final ninth round. Only three minutes remained before securing the gold medal.

However, they could not overcome the hurdle in the final round. While Park Ji-hee, who came out as the last fencer, scored two points, she was caught up in Japan's fierce offensive and conceded seven points. Ultimately, South Korea allowed a comeback with the score ending 28-29, time ran out, and the match concluded.

According to NEWS1, Park Ji-hee shed hot tears after the match. Park said, "I thought I had grown a lot and stepped onto the piste, but I still felt that I have a long way to go." She added, "My younger teammates performed so well in front of me, and as the last fencer, I couldn't hold on until the end, so I am truly sorry," blaming herself.

Teammate Shim So-eun said, "Everyone prepared and competed with their best efforts without any regrets. If we had extended the point difference further in the middle before allowing the comeback, it would have reduced my sister's burden," as she embraced Park Ji-hee, who was shedding tears.

Even amidst this disappointing defeat, the national team's gaze is fixed on hope for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics two years from now. Park Ji-hee stated, "We often suffered double-score defeats against Japan at international events like the World Championships, but this time we caught up to them right at their doorstep." She vowed, "The process of securing Olympic qualification will be arduous, but over the remaining two years, I will run again with the LA Olympics as my goal."

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*This content was translated by AI.