Hardly a bed of roses for Kim

SINGAPORE — Kim Ji Yeon may have expected champagne, roses and million-dollar sponsors knocking on her door after winning South Korea’s first-ever gold in women’s fencing at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Instead, the 27-year-old says her life has not changed. In fact, the top-seeded athlete, one of the biggest names at this week’s Asian Fencing Championships, found herself chasing the competition after she lost 15-14 to China’s Shen Chen in the women’s sabre semi-finals.

Hampered by an old hip injury, the defending champion and five-time Asian champion found herself on the back foot with the score tied at 14-14, stumbling backwards onto the piste to lose the final point to settle for a joint-bronze with Japan’s Emura Misaki. Shen eventually clinched the gold after defeating Japan’s Aoki Chika 15-7 in the final.

“I thought my life would change (after winning gold), but life goes on,” said Kim at the OCBC Arena yesterday. “I already had the hip injury for a long time. I’m disappointed that I didn’t win today, but I have to accept the result. Last year, China beat us to the team gold at the Asian Championship, and we really want it this time.”

At the 2012 Olympics, the Busan native made history after defeating Russia’s Sofya Velikaya 15-9 in the sabre final at London’s Excel arena to become the first South Korean woman to win a fencing gold at the Olympics, and the country’s second gold medallist in the sport after Kim Young Ho’s victory in the men’s foil at the 2000 Sydney Games.

A bronze medallist at the Asian Games, Shen was delighted to finally claim gold after finishing third at the Asian Championships in 2013 and 2014. “I have fought against Ji Yeon many times, and it’s always a tough fight and she usually wins,” she said.

“I am very happy that I beat her, and this really gives me a lot of confidence. My aim for the Olympics is to finish in the top three, and win gold in the team event.”

With one Olympic gold in the bag, Kim now wants the team gold at next year’s Games in Rio de Janeiro. But China — which finished third (2-0-1) behind South Korea (2-1-3) on the fencing medal table in London — will be snapping at their heels.

Added Kim, who won a team gold and individual silver at last year’s Incheon Asian Games: “It is true China are becoming stronger, but I don’t think they are a bigger threat. I’m more worried about the United States and Russia.”

But Kim will take heed of China’s dominant performance on the first day of the Asian Fencing Championships yesterday, where they also won the men’s epee title after Jiao Yunlong overcame South Korea’s Park Kyoung Doo 11-10.

Singapore’s fencers were also back in action in the men’s epee and women’s sabre events after their three gold, three silver and seven bronze medal haul at the recent 28th SEA Games.

Hopes were high for Samson Lee to repeat his top-eight finish from last year’s Asian Championships — where he defeated defending epee champion Elmir Alimzhanov of Kazakhstan — after the 28-year-old won all the bouts in the poules stage.

Seeded second in the main draw, Lee was instead eliminated in the round of 32 after a 10-9 loss to Vietnam’s Truong Tran Nhat Minh. Asian Games bronze medallist Lim Wei Wen’s campaign also ended after a loss (15-11) to eventual silver medallist Park in the last 32.

Lee, part of Singapore’s men’s epee team that won silver at the SEA Games, is contemplating his future in the sport after training full-time for a year under the S$4 million Final Push programme.

“My scholarship has ended with the SEA Games, and as much as I wish to continue, I don’t have the support and finances to do so,” he said yesterday. “My fencing career is still uncertain, and I might be forced to stop.”

The Asian Fencing Championships, which end on June 30, features some 350 competitors from 28 countries.