South Korean fencing star Song Se-ra advanced to the women’s individual epee final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday after pulling off a dramatic 15-14 comeback victory over Japan’s Tamaki Terayama.
Song, ranked No. 3 in the world, came from behind in the closing stages of the semifinal at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi prefecture, to move within one victory of her first individual Asian Games gold medal.
The 33-year-old took a 3-2 lead in the opening period before Terayama fought back, and left the bout tied 7-7 after the second.
Song found herself under pressure in the third period, falling behind for the first time at 9-10 before Terayama extended her advantage to 13-11.
After Song pulled a point back, a simultaneous touch left her trailing Terayama 14-13 and one point away from elimination.
Song responded by fending off Terayama’s attack and landing a counterattack to level the score at 14-14. She then scored the decisive final touch to seal the 15-14 victory and a place in the final.
The victory guaranteed Song at least a silver medal.
Song, who won silver in the individual epee event at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, is seeking her first individual Asian Games title. She was also part of the South Korean squad that won the women’s team epee gold in Hangzhou.
The final is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
