~ Indian Fencers Lohan and Sachin Show Strong Performance and Great Promise on Home Pistes ~
~ Major Upsets Dominate the Day as Cheung Ka Long, Choi Chun Yin, and Song Se-ra Fall ~
TARUN KUMAR
New Delhi: Day 3 of the 26th Asian Senior Fencing Championships at New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam brought massive drama. As a key qualifier for the upcoming Asian Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, it marked the final day of individual actions before shifting to the team events. After two opening days dominated by Japan and South Korea, Day 3 put the spotlight on two highly technical disciplines: Men’s Foil and Women’s Épée.
The young Indian contingent delivered promising performances on home pistes. In the Women’s Épée, Prachi Lohan led the local charge with a 22nd-place finish, followed closely by rising star Taniksha Khatri in 29th. Mitva Jesangbhai Chaudhari finished 35th, and Yashkeerat Kaur Hayer took 43rd. On the Men’s Foil side, Sachin Sachin paced the home squad in 25th place, while Sanasam Hemash Singh finished 37th, Tejas Manoj Patil took 47th, and Aditya Aditya finished 57th.
The day became a graveyard for tournament favorites. In Men’s Foil, Hong Kong’s reigning back-to-back Olympic gold medalist Cheung Ka Long was shocked in the quarterfinals by South Korea’s Im Cheolwoo, leaving Cheung in 6th place overall. Defending Asian champion Choi Chun Yin Ryan of Hong Kong was also knocked out in the quarterfinals, falling to Japan’s Kyosuke Matsuyama to finish 5th. In the Women’s Épée bracket, South Korea’s defending champion Song Se-ra was stopped in the semifinals by Kazakhstan’s Irina Bakaldina, forcing her to settle for bronze.
The finals delivered incredible intensity. In Men’s Foil, Japan showed its strength as teammates Kyosuke Matsuyama and Kazuki Iimura fought in an all-Japanese final. Matsuyama won the match to take Gold, leaving Iimura with Silver, while South Korea’s Im Cheolwoo and Jeonghyun Youn shared the bronze. In Women’s Épée, Irina Bakaldina clinched a historic first-ever individual women’s épée gold for Kazakhstan by defeating Hong Kong’s Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh in a fierce final. Hsieh took home the silver, while Tamaki Terayama of Japan and South Korea’s Song Se-ra shared the bronze.
