BANGKOK, Thailand, June 19, 2018—Korean fencer Bongil Gu, ranked first in the world, earned gold in the men’s sabre event at the 2018 Bangkok Asia-Oceania Fencing Championships. It was the third day of individual competition, and Hong Kong’s Man Wai Vivian Kong took the gold in the women’s epee event. In all, six days of fencing featuring 12 individual and team events are taking place on the Rangsit Campus of Bangkok’s Thammasat University.
Gu, defending his 2017 title at this event, defeated his teammate and Olympic bronze medallist, Junghwan Kim, in the final match of individual men’s sabre with a 15-12 score. Kim defeated another teammate, Junho Kim, in the semi-final round, 15-12, while Gu beat Iranian fencer Ali Pakdaman, 15-13, in the other semi-final round.
Kong won gold in the individual women’s epee final, 10-9, against Korean Young Mi Kang, who won this same event last year. Kong had a close match in the semi-final round against Korea’s Hyein Lee, winning by a single point, 15-14, while Kang overcame Hong Kong’s Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh, 14-12. Notably, in the round of 16, Hsieh beat world second-ranked and Olympic bronze medallist Yiwen Sun of China, 15-10.
The overall top-eight ranking for men’s individual sabre at the Bangkok Asia-Oceania Zonal Fencing Championships includes Bongil Gu (KOR, gold), Junghwan Kim (KOR, silver), Junho Kim (KOR, bronze), Ali Pakdaman (IRI, bronze), Tomohiro Shimamura (JPN), Kenta Tokunan (JPN), Sze Long Aaron Ho (HKG) and Shi Wang (CHN).
The top-eight rankings from individual women’s epee include Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG, gold), Young Mi Kang (KOR, silver), Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh (HKG, bronze), Hyein Lee (KOR, bronze), A Lam Shin (KOR), Ayaka Shimookawa (JPN), Mingye Zhu (CHN) and Yik Hei Coco Lin (HKG).
Full results from the Asia-Oceania Zonal Fencing Championships may be found here for the men’s and here for the women’s events.