Song Se-ra wins first major individual gold in women's épée at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Song Se-ra, South Korea's top women's épée fencer, claimed the first major multi-sport individual gold of her career at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday.

Song, ranked third in the world, crushed Singapore's Tikana Kirya — ranked 100th globally — 15-8 in the women's épée individual final at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The 33-year-old, who competes for the Busan Metropolitan Government team, delivered South Korea's sixth gold medal of the Games, following titles in the modern pentathlon, teqball, men's basketball and swimming's Kim Yeong-beom.

Song had previously won the individual world championship in 2022 and this year, but the Asian Games crown had eluded her — she took silver at the 2022 Hangzhou Games after losing the final to then-teammate Choi In-jeong. Tuesday's victory erased that disappointment. South Korea's women have now swept the épée individual gold at three consecutive Asian Games — Kang Yeong-mi in Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, Choi in Hangzhou in 2022, and Song on Tuesday — reaffirming the country's dominance in the event across Asia.

The path to gold was far from straightforward. Song received a bye in the round of 32, then beat India's Tanishka Katri 15-9 in the round of 16 before edging China's Tang Junyao — ranked 10th in the world — 15-14 in a tense, back-and-forth quarterfinal.

The semifinal against Japan's Tamaki Terayama proved to be the day's most dramatic moment. Song fell behind 11-13 late in the third period and appeared headed for defeat, but with just seven seconds left and the score at 13-14, she landed a lightning-quick thrust to the upper body to force overtime. In the extra period, with priority in her favor, she scored the decisive touch to book her place in the final.

Riding that momentum, Song controlled the final against the taller Kirya — who stands 171 centimeters and carries a longer reach — with composed distance management and unpredictable attacks targeting both the upper and lower body. She stretched the lead to 10-7 late in the second period, then poured in consecutive touches in the third to seal a dominant 15-8 win.

Song's teammate Im Tae-hee, who competes for the Gyeryong City Hall team, fell 13-15 to a Kazakhstani opponent in the round of 16. The two will team up to chase a second gold when the women's épée team event takes place on Friday.

South Korea's fencing squad opened the Games with a gold and a bronze on the first day of competition — Song's title and a bronze by Yun Jeong-hyeon of the Hwaseong City Hall team in the men's foil individual event, his first Asian Games medal in eight years. On Wednesday, men's sabre ace Oh Sang-uk of the Daejeon Metropolitan Government team takes the piste to defend his individual title.