Mo Ziwei (R) of China in action during the men's foil individual final against Ha Tae-gyu of South Korea at the Asian Fencing Championships in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, on June 19, 2023. (Photo by Hai Yueliang/Xinhua)
China's Mo Ziwei captured his maiden Asian Championships title after overcoming Ha Tae-gyu of South Korea in the men's foil individual final.
WUXI, China, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China clinched their second gold medal at the 2023 Asian Fencing Championships, as Mo Ziwei overcame Ha Tae-gyu of South Korea in the men's foil individual final here on Monday.
Mo, who had never previously won a major tournament, raced into a 7-3 lead, but Ha rallied, compelling Mo to dig deep for a 15-8 victory.
"It felt like a dream. I didn't anticipate winning the title before this tournament began, but now I have proven myself and boosted our team's confidence," said Mo.
The most recent Chinese fencer to have secured the men's foil individual gold at the Asian Championships was Olympic champion Lei Sheng, who outperformed compatriot Huang Liangcai in the 2012 final.
South Korea's Heo Jun and Yeung Chi Ka of Hong Kong SAR shared the bronze medal.
Zaynab Dayibekova of Uzbekistan celebrates after winning the women's sabre individual final against Yoon Ji-su of South Korea at the Asian Fencing Championships. (Photo by Hai Yueliang/Xinhua)
In the women's sabre individual final, world No.79 Zaynab Dayibekova of Uzbekistan defeated South Korea's Yoon Ji-su 15-9. China's Yang Hengyu and C. A. Bhavani Devi of India shared the bronze medal.
Devi, the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics, had stunned world No.1 Emura Misaki in the quarterfinals, triumphing 15-10. ■