The national anthem rang out all three days in the gymnasium of Hangzhou University of Electronics, China, where the Hangzhou Asian Games fencing competition was held. Jisoo Yoon (30, Seoul City Hall), the women’s national saber team, succeeded in winning her third gold medal in the Korean fencing competition. Jisoo Yoon won the gold medal by defeating Saoyachi (27, China) 15-10 in the women’s saber individual final on the 26th.
Jisoo Yoon is a player who has a deeper connection with team competitions than individual competitions. Jisoo Yoon played an active part in the national team when Korea won its first Asian Games gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games and when Korea succeeded in winning its second consecutive title at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, and at the 2021 Tokyo Games, the Korean women’s saber won its first Olympic team medal (bronze). Even when he won, he did his part. However, this was her first time winning an individual gold medal in an international all-around competition.
It has been nine years since Lee Jin-jin (33) at the 2014 Incheon Games that a Korean female saber player took the top spot in the individual event at the Asian Games. At that time, in the final of the competition, she defeated Kim Ji-yeon (35, Seoul City Hall), the gold medalist in this event at the 2012 London Olympics, to win the championship. Jisoo Yoon is also Lee Ra-jin’s junior by three years at Yangwoon Middle School in Busan.
Jisoo Yoon, who was playing in the finals of the Asian Games for the first time, scored six points in a row to go from 2-2 to end the first period up 8-2. She looked embarrassed on the face of Sao Yachi, the individual silver medalist at the Jakarta-Palembang Games. Saoyachi, who received one-sided support from fans at home, trailed by 11-9 at one point in the second round, but Jisoo Yoon regained the pace and ended up winning by five points. Confirming her win, Jisoo Yoon took off her mask and roared on her piste.
The road to the finals was not easy. Ji-su Yoon토토사이트, who participated in this tournament while enduring knee pain, defeated Paola Pliego (29, Uzbekistan), whom she met in the round of 16, the first game of the tournament, 15-14. He succeeded in overturning the situation by scoring 3 points in a row when he was behind 12-14. Jisoo Yoon once again faced Uzbekistan player Zainab Dybekova (21) in the semifinals. Dybekova is the player who lost to Yoon Ji-soo in the round of 16 of the individual event at the Tokyo Olympics. However, the result of the game that day was a 15-14 victory.
Ji-su Yoon is the daughter of Hak-gil Yoon (62), a talent donation committee member of the Korea Baseball Organization ( KBO ), the ‘Lonely Crown Prince’ who recorded 100 complete games as a pitcher for the Lotte professional baseball team. Ji-su Yoon discovered fencing at the recommendation of her physical education teacher in middle school, and after barely getting permission from her father, who was opposed to her playing the sport, she began her career as an athlete.
The Hangzhou Asian Games fencing will conclude the individual schedule on this day and begin the team schedule on the 27th. In addition to Ji-su Yoon, Korea’s Choi In-jeong (33, Gyeryong City Hall) won gold medals in women’s epee and Oh Sang-wook (27, Daejeon City Hall) won gold medals in men’s saber, ultimately finishing the individual event in first place in the event rankings with three gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal.
Jisoo Yoon will challenge for her second gold medal and third consecutive victory in the women’s saber team event on the 29th. Jisoo Yoon, who won a gold medal as the youngest member of her national team at the Jakarta-Palembang Games five years ago, will defend her title as captain and her ‘eldest sister’ in Hangzhou. Among the bronze medalists in the women’s saber team event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Jisoo Yoon is the only one to compete in this competition.