Asian Games: Defending champions Satwik-Chirag suffer shock first-round exit

Tokoname, Japan — In the women's epee team fencing competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, South Korea secured the silver medal after falling short of its Asiad title. The South Korean team, consisting of Song Se-ra, Lim Tae-hee, Yang Seung-hye, and Lee Hye-in, narrowly lost to China with a score of 45-28 in the gold medal match held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, located 35 kilometers south of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan.

The South Korean team had previously won the event at the Hangzhou Asian Games but finished as runners-up at the 2026 Games. Song, who claimed the individual epee title on Tuesday, contributed to the silver medal in the team event. Bronze medals were awarded to Singapore and Kazakhstan.

Fencing team events consist of nine head-to-head bouts. Each bout lasts three minutes, and it concludes when a team's score reaches a multiple of five. A team scores 45 points first or maintains a higher score than the opponent at the end of the ninth bout to win the event. In the epee competition, fencers use thrusting weapons targeting the entire body.

South Korea led the first two bouts, establishing a narrow 7-6 advantage. However, China overtook the lead in the third bout, maintaining a 15-13 lead throughout the competition.