Fencing Women's ?p?e Choi Injeong and Kang Youngmi Eliminated in Round of 32 Individual Event

Fencing women's ?p?e national representative Choi In-jeong wipes sweat during the Tokyo Olympic qualifier against Aizanat Murtazaeva (ROC) at Makuhari Messe Hall in Japan on the 24th. Choi In-jeong lost 11-15. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] Choi In-jeong (Gyeryong City Hall) and Kang Young-mi (Gwangju Seo-gu Office), who were the first representatives of the Korean fencing team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, were unexpectedly eliminated in their first match with a disappointing defeat.

On the morning of the 24th, Choi In-jeong lost 11-15 to Aizanat Murtazaeva (Russian Olympic Committee) in the women's ?p?e individual round of 32 held at Marukahi Messe Hall B in Chiba, Japan, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics fencing event. Ranked 2nd in the world, Choi was expected to be a medal contender in women's ?p?e. She won the gold medal at the International Fencing World Cup held in Kazan, Russia, earlier this year.

On the other hand, Murtazaeva was only ranked 258th in the world. She had also defeated Choi in May 2018 at the Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Both athletes engaged in a fierce tactical battle early on and each received two red cards. Afterwards, Murtazaeva gained momentum and steadily accumulated points, leading 6-4 by the end of the second period. At the start of the third period, Choi was counterattacked, and the score widened to 4-8. Choi closed the gap to 6-8 by scoring in close combat, but with 40 seconds remaining, she attempted an attack and conceded a point, resulting in her elimination.

Meanwhile, Kang Young-mi (36, Gwangju Seo-gu Office) also lost in the round of 32 in a Korea-Japan match. Ranked 8th in the world, Kang was defeated 14-15 by Japan’s Nozomi Sato, who is ranked 42nd.

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