Asian Fencing C'ships: Japan wins the women's foil team title

On Day 4 of the Asian Senior Fencing Championships at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the electric atmosphere shifted to the highly anticipated team events with the Women's Foil and Men's Sabre competitions.

Regional fencing powerhouses South Korea and Japan continued their fierce battle for continental supremacy, delivering an intense display of tactical depth and explosive speed on the piste.

In the Men's Sabre Team category, South Korea, led by individual gold medalist Oh Sang-uk and defending champion Do Gyeong-dong, put on a masterclass to defeat Japan in the final.

Meanwhile, the Japanese women countered this dominance in the Women's Foil Team event, where individual champion Yuka Ueno led her squad to a gold medal finish over the South Koreans after a display of flawless blade work.

Playing on home pistes, the Indian teams showcased remarkable grit and clear moments of resilience against these Olympic-level rosters, ultimately securing a hard-fought 10th-place finish overall.

In the Men’s Sabre Team event, the Indian squad comprising Vishal Thapar, Karan Singh, Gisho Nidhi Kumaresan Padma, and Lakshay Badser fought aggressively in the initial rounds.

Although they were eventually halted in the pre-quarterfinals against the Australian team, and then lost narrowly 44-45 to Iran in the 9th-10th place playoff.

Notably, Karan Singh showed incredible promise by stringing together quick touches using his trademark explosive off-the-line speed, proving that the Indian contingent can match the pace of the world's best.

The young Indian women's squad, featuring Kanupriya Chawla, Joys Ashitha Stalinraj, Naorem Mina Devi, and Sonia Devi Waikhom, also demonstrated immense fight and used the high-stakes environment to absorb critical international experience.

They missed a quarterfinal berth to Kazakhstan, but showed great adaptability in the classification match against Cambodia before losing to Australia in the 9th-10th place play-off.