Korean Fencing Team Wins Title in Budapest

Korea’s national men’s fencing sabre team took a step closer to obtaining a ticket for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Oh Eun-seok and Kim Jeong-hwan (both from the Cycle Racing Association), Won Woo-yeong (Seoul Metro), Hwang Byeong-yeol (Today Korea) defeated Chinese players 45-34 in the final team match at the Men’s Sabre Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday. Previously, Korea managed to win against France and Belarus 45-44 in the quarter-final and semi-final.

This is the first time South Korea won the first title in the team match of the international fencing championship.

Korea now ranks 7th (188 points) on the team ranking of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), following France (272), Hungary (242), Russia (232), Belarus (228) and China (208).

To obtain the ticket to the Beijing Olympics, Korea must defeat Bulgaria in February and China in the Algerian Grand Prix in March. If China makes its way into the top four, which qualifies for an automatic entry in the Olympics, Korea can join the Olympics as No.1 in Asia-Oceania region.

Oh Wan-geun, director of the Korean Fencing Association, said, “The Korean national team could make it to the Olympics given their improving performances as of late.”

Meanwhile, Korea’s national women’s sabre team, consisted of Lee Shin-mi and Kim Geun-hwa (both from the Iksan City Hall), Kim Hye-rim and Ahn Mi-hye (both from the Ansan City Hall), ranked 4th at the Women’s Sabre Grand Prix in Orleans, France, on the same day.

beetlez@donga.com