South Korea's men's foil team falls short of third straight Asian Games gold

South Korea's men's foil fencing team failed to win a third consecutive Asian Games team title on Friday — but veteran Lee Kwang-hyun's fierce comeback in the final round left a lasting impression.

South Korea lost 41-45 to Hong Kong in the men's foil team semifinal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, settling for bronze. The team had won gold at both the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou Games.

Hong Kong proved a formidable opponent. Their lineup included Cheung Ka-long, who won back-to-back individual gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, and Ryan Choi, last year's world champion. South Korea fell behind early and trailed 28-40 after the eighth round.

With the match seemingly decided, Lee mounted a comeback in the ninth and final round. Standing 170 centimeters — on the shorter side for a male fencer — Lee has long compensated for his physical disadvantage with speed and relentless training. He landed a series of sharp attacks against the nearly 190-centimeter Choi, closing the gap to 41-43 and scoring 13 points in that round alone. But South Korea conceded two more touches and the comeback fell just short.

After the match, Lee said he had come to the Games focused on the team event above all else. "I was aiming for a third straight team gold more than anything in the individual event, so I'm left with a lot of regret," he said.

Reflecting on the final round, Lee said his only thought was to give everything until the end. "Regardless of the score, I just wanted to finish strong and do my part for the team," he said. "When it got to 41-43, I really felt the momentum shift and thought we could pull it off — but the touches just didn't go our way by the thinnest of margins. It was a match we could have won, and that makes it all the more disappointing."

Lee is the only member of the current national team to have been part of both previous team gold-medal squads. He will be 35 when the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are held.

On the prospect of competing at the Olympics, Lee was measured. "I've been focused entirely on the Asian Games, so I'll think about what comes next after this," he said. He was clear, however, about one wish: to compete in the Olympic team event alongside his younger teammates.

The Olympic team event is open to only about eight or nine countries based on world team rankings. South Korea's men's foil team has not qualified for the Olympic team event since the 2004 Athens Games.

"I've been trying since the 2016 Rio Games but couldn't get the qualification spot," Lee said. "At the 2020 Tokyo Games, we were about 80 percent of the way there and then lost it unluckily, so I ended up competing only in the individual event. Paris 2024 also fell through at the last moment. Setting medals aside, I just want to compete in a team event at least once — to fight together as a unit."

Lee also expressed confidence in the next generation. "The men's sabre and women's épée teams are so dominant that we often get compared unfavorably, but our level is not far behind anyone in the world," he said. "If the younger athletes keep developing the way they are, I think the future of South Korea's men's foil is bright."

He added that accumulating experience would be key. "They need to build more experience. Just having stood on the final piste — whether in the individual event, where Yun Jeong-hyeon won bronze, or in the team event — will be enormously valuable," he said. "The condition, confidence and momentum on the day matter a great deal, and learning to manage those things will be just as important."

Meanwhile, Hong Kong was an opponent South Korea had beaten at both previous Games. South Korea defeated Hong Kong in the final at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games to claim gold, and beat them 45-37 in the semifinal at the Hangzhou Games.