"This is not the result I wanted..." Women's epee 'Golden Child's Challenge
Jul 31, 2024
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The Korean female epee failed to cross the barrier of 'host country'. The Korean women's epee team, which featured Song Se-ra (Busan Metropolitan City Hall), Kang Young-mi (Seo-gu Office, Gwangju Metropolitan City) and Lee Hye-in (Gangwon Provincial Office), lost to France 31-37 in the quarterfinals of the women's epee team at the 2024 Paris Olympics held in Grand Palais, Paris, France on the 30th (Korea time). Epee, a South Korean woman who won a silver medal in the 2012 London Games and the last Tokyo Games, aimed for the gold medal in this event, but unfortunately packed her bags in the first round.
Epee, a Korean woman, shed tears in the individual competition. All of them failed to pass the quarterfinals and were wiped out in the individual matches held on the 27th. In particular, even Song Sera, who was aiming for the championship, knelt down in the round of 16. As he dominated the individual and team events at the 2022 World Championships, he was considered a medal candidate for the Olympics, but he turned away earlier than expected.
I concentrated on the team event. Choi In-jeong (Gyeryong City Hall), who retired after the last Hangzhou Asian Games, returned, and the silver medal members of the Tokyo Games regrouped. The women's epee team was ranked second in the world and was considered a leading candidate for a medal even before the opening. U.S. data analyst 'Gracenote' predicted a gold medal in the women's epee team event. After winning the Fujairah World Cup last month, the women's epee team won four consecutive Asian championships, gaining momentum.
The first match was against France. There was a gap with South Korea as the world's ninth, but France, with enthusiastic support on its back, looked completely different. South Korea fell to its knees without taking the lead even once from the start. It wasn't expected to be an easy game, but it was a bigger loss than I thought. The women's epee, who collapsed until the team event, eventually finished the competition empty-handed. It was a disappointing result, as I was aiming for up to two gold medals.
The eyes of the players who met after the game were already hot. `The oldest sister' Kang Young-mi 'did her best. It's a shame that he couldn't show his skills because it was a burdensome game. I played my best, but I felt sorry and grateful to my younger brothers. " Song Se-ra "It's a pity that there are a lot of nervous situations. It wasn't the result I wanted. There is a regret left behind." Choi In-jeong, who was cheering from below, said "We said we were going to win the gold medal. I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep that promise because many people must have cheered for me. When I saw the team members down there, I knew what they really felt, so all I could do to help was support. Even though I didn't play, I want to say that I think I did everything I practiced and that I did a good job." With Choi In-jeong's sincere comfort, all the players shed tears that they endured and endured.
The women's epee team nicknamed itself 'Golden Child' after the Tokyo Games. It meant, 'Let's just win the gold medal in the future. In fact, he won a team gold medal at the World Championships and Asian Games. The Paris Olympics, which was the last period, was not the result I wanted. Tears or no medals that could have been shed because I did my best are okay.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
