By Rumaiza Norova, OCA Youth Reporter from Tajikistan
Nagoya, Japan, October 2: Korea’s women's sabre team arrived at the team event without an individual medal between them.
On September 27, Choi Se-bin, Jeon Ha-young, Seo Ji-yeon and Kim Jeong-mi left Aichi Sky Expo with the one result they had all been missing: Asian Games gold.
Korea defeated Japan 45-31 in the final, reclaiming the women’s team sabre title for the first time since 2018. For Choi, who had been part of the bronze-medal team at Hangzhou 2022, the change in medal colour was especially significant. “I’m happier that I changed the color to gold,” she said.
For Jeon, the victory came after a difficult individual competition. She finished sixth and said the result stayed with her over the following days. Rather than questioning her fencing ability, she came to believe that her biggest problem had been her mindset.
“The past two days were really difficult, but I tried to think as positively as possible,” Jeon said. She added that she normally tends to think negatively, but felt that changing that approach helped her perform better in the team event.
Korea also entered the final with a clear tactical idea. Jeon said previous defeats to Japan had sometimes come when the Korean fencers became too conscious of Japan’s style instead of trusting their own strengths. This time, the message within the team was to attack without hesitation.
“The strength of our team is attack,” Jeon said. Korea followed that plan from the opening relays, building an advantage early and keeping control of the match even as Japan tried to respond in front of a vocal home crowd.
The team’s familiarity also played a role in how Jeon described their success. She said she, Choi and Kim are around the same age and have known one another since they were young, creating a natural closeness within the group.
Seo, meanwhile, is older than the other three. Jeon described her as bringing “older-sister leadership” while still making the younger fencers feel comfortable, something she believed helped the team work well together.
The final also required an unexpected change when Seo hurt her knee and Kim came in as substitute. Korea maintained its advantage and completed the victory, giving all four fencers a direct part in securing the title.
Jeon is already looking beyond Aichi-Nagoya 2026, naming the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as a major target for both the team and herself. But, after the disappointment of the individual event, she allowed herself one simpler conclusion before leaving Tokoname: “Now I think I can finally leave here with a lighter heart and a smile.”