Jeon Ha-young wins gold at Fencing World Cup

Jeon Ha-young (23, ranked 8th in the world) defeated Lucia Martin-Portugues (34, Spain, ranked 5th) 15-7 in the final of the women’s individual saber event at the first World Cup of the 2024-2025 season, held on Thursday in Oran, Algeria. This gold medal marks Jeon's first individual medal in a World Cup. “I’m thrilled that my first medal is gold," Jeon said. "Starting the season off strong makes it even more meaningful.”

Despite trailing in her head-to-head record with this opponent with one win and five losses, Jeon won the championship, saying, “During the Olympics, I maintained my focus and controlled my mind to stay unaffected by any objections my opponent might raise. This time, I stayed focused solely on myself and maintained a positive mindset, which allowed me to confidently compete against an opponent with whom I hadn’t had the best record.”

Jeon emerged as a rising star in women’s saber after securing the crucial winning point in the team saber event at the Paris Olympics. Since the Olympics, she has swept individual titles in three out of four domestic tournaments, including the President’s Cup, the National Team Selection Tournament, and the National Sports Festival, except the Kim Chang-hwan Cup, where she placed 5th.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com