S. Korean foil fencers’ perfect teamwork leads to dramatic comeback victory at Asiad

Heo Jun, 35-year-old veteran fencer, has rarely come into the spotlight after international competitions due to his short career.

His highest ranking in the men’s individual foil event at the Asian Games was second place in the 2014 Incheon Asiad on home turf. In world championships, he finished third once in 2018, and placed 20th in the 2016 Olympics.

But he has been shining brighter with his teammates. He was a member of the South Korean foil team that won gold in two straight Asian Games in 2018 and 2023.

In the final match against China in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, in particular, he made his strong presence felt again.

With his team trailing by five points and a noisy home crowd shouting, Heo took the piste in the sixth round and overcame the gap to level the game at 27-27. Then, his younger teammates started the dramatic comeback to seal the thrilling victory at 45-38.

“I’m the ace on the team, who has to pull off a come-from-behind victory at such a moment,” he said in a mixed-zone interview. “But this time, I thought my role was to just narrow the gap one by one and provide the upbeat momentum and atmosphere for our team.”

His role did not end there. His stability and experience worked in the ninth bout, which South Korea started with a four-point lead.

It seemed that the Korean team would cement the victory without any threat, but anchor Heo felt some pain in his leg. Even after a brief medical break, he limped on the piste from time to time, but he did not let the opponent play on his weakness.

“I got a cramp in my leg, and just tightened it up to complete the game,” he said. “I just tried to hold on until the end.”

Heo, who has announced his retirement after the Asian Games, credited his younger teammates for the victory, who did not give up and gave him the comfortable four-point lead for the final round.

“They did well what they had to do in the final,” he said. “(Due to the cramp) I would have failed to win the game if we were losing or tied in the last round.”

For Heo’s golden finale, his teammates did more than they used to do. They have been focusing more on the team events than on their individual competitions.

At this year’s continental event, South Korean foil fencers failed to earn a medal in the individual event held Sunday. It is the first time since 1978 that South Korea ended individual foil empty handed in the Asian Games.

“We’ve trained for the Hangzhou Asian Games, focusing on the team event,” Lee Kwang-hyun said in a post-match conference. “It was Heo Jun’s last competition, and we thought it was our best chance to win an Asian Games gold medal in team foil with Heo around.”