Yoon Jung-hyun wins men's foil bronze at Nagoya Asian Games, ending 8-year medal drought

Yoon Jung-hyun, 25, delivered South Korea's first medal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, claiming bronze in the men's individual foil to end an eight-year gap in the event for Korean fencing.

Ranked 32nd in the world by the International Fencing Federation, Yoon lost 13-15 to Hong Kong's Ryan Choi, the world No. 7, in the semifinal at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture. In individual fencing events, both semifinal losers receive bronze medals with no separate third-place bout.

The last time a South Korean athlete stood on the podium in the men's individual foil at the Asian Games was Son Yeong-gi's bronze at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. Yoon had stormed through the bracket, beating Chien Yi-tung of Taiwan 15-4 in the round of 16 and Daniil Kravtsov of Uzbekistan 15-5 in the quarterfinals, before running into Choi — the reigning world champion — in a tight semifinal that went down to the wire.

Speaking to reporters after the bout, Yoon said he was grateful for the recognition but felt he still had more to prove. "People are generous enough to say I've kept the tradition alive, but I don't think I'm quite at that level yet," he said. "I want to give everything I have to lift men's foil, which has struggled for results." He also reflected on the semifinal loss. "He was world No. 1 until not long ago, so the mental battle was crucial — but I think I got pulled along without realizing it," he said.

Yoon came to fencing by an unlikely route. He spent his teenage years in Russia, where his father was posted as a corporate expatriate, and picked up the sport there. Though he started later than most elite athletes, his progress was rapid. "I wanted to learn taekwondo, but the lessons were expensive locally, and fencing was relatively affordable, so I chose that," he said. "After seeing I had potential, I came back to Korea and decided to pursue it as a career." Named to the national team for the 2023-2024 season, he cemented his status as a rising star last year by winning back-to-back individual bronze medals at the Cairo World Cup and the Asian Championships in March.

With the individual event behind him, Yoon will compete in the men's team foil alongside Lee Gwang-hyeon, Lim Cheol-woo and Kim Tae-hwan on Friday. The South Korean men's foil team is chasing a third consecutive Asian Games team title, having won gold at both the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou Games. "I'll pour out everything I couldn't show today into the team event," Yoon said. "Having confirmed my potential at this competition, I intend to keep pushing all the way to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."