Things are coming to an end in terms of fencing, with teams that have completed the round of eight in men's foil fencing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning their way into the semifinals. This 4 August was time for the finals, which were held each evening betweeen 27 July to 4 August at the Grand Palais, with 12 gold-medal individual and team epee, foil and sabre events. 

Over in the fencing, top seeds Japan have taken the men's team foil title against second seeds Italy! Italy actually led 20-18 and 25-23 earlier, but the Japanese team have been on a run, taking 12 of the last 14 points to win 45-36. 

Earlier, France took bronze over USA.

Ukraine beat South Korea on 3 August

In a tight gold-medal match between Ukraine and the Republic of Korea, it was the former that came out on top to clinch the gold medal in the women’s team sabre final on 3 August at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. After missing the podium in the event at Tokyo 2020 and taking silver at Rio 2016, the Ukranians have landed back on top for the first time since the women’s sabre team event made its debut in 2008.

“We still don’t believe that we’ve made it. I’d like to thank Ukraine for their huge support there and here,” said Olga Kharlan, the winning team’s Olympic veteran. Kharlan was her team’s top point scorer, clocking a total of nine touches throughout the match.

The win marked her second Olympic title and first since her Games debut in 2008. She has now collected a total of five Olympic medals, with a silver and two bronze already in her trophy case. "We saw a lot of Ukrainian flags, and it means a lot for our country, for our people, for our defenders. We're just grateful and thankful for them,” she said.

The Ukrainians trailed a few points behind the Republic of Korea for most of the match, but they pulled it off when it mattered, beating their opponents 45-42 after coming back from a three-point deficit going into the ninth and final leg. The silver medallists seemed equally as elated to land on the podium in the silver-medal position, besting their bronze from Tokyo 2020.

“It’s like a dream for me and I am very excited. I don’t think that I will be able to sleep tonight,” said Jeon Hayoung, who was not a member of the Olympic team three years ago, but said she watched the competition on TV. Choi Sebin, the top point scorer for the silver medallists, added to the excitement, saying, “I am very excited and happy. It’s an honour. I’m really grateful … I did enjoy the matches and I think that’s why I got a good record in this Olympics.” Earlier, Japan took the bronze medal over host nation France with a final score of 45-40.

Vivian Kong's retirement

Vivian Kong Man-wai, Hong Kong's fencing star, announced her retirement from professional fencing on Sunday, following her gold medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics. "After competing in my third Olympics, I have decided to take a break from professional fencing," Kong shared with her "fencing family" on social media. "I look forward to starting a new career and work towards having my own charity to help kids find joy and playfulness back into sports."

Upon returning to Hong Kong on Thursday after defeating French favourite Auriane Mallo-Breton in the women’s epee final, Kong mentioned her plans to use her prize money to establish a charity fund or social enterprise for children. The 30-year-old, currently ranked number one in the world, has been a fixture in fencing for nearly two decades. Her Olympic victory in Paris came after she had previously suffered two torn cruciate ligaments.

Patrick Yung, an orthopaedic and traumatology professor who treated Kong, told RTHK that her retirement was unlikely connected to her previous knee injuries. "The Vivian I know, other than promoting fencing with her utmost effort, has also done a lot in promoting sports and positive thinking among the general public, particularly young people; I believe she will continue with those works," Yung said. 

Eric Chan, Hong Kong's chief secretary, expressed hopes that Kong might transition into coaching to nurture future fencing talent in Hong Kong. In addition to her fencing career, Kong has pursued academic studies, earning a degree in international relations from Stanford University and a master's in law from Renmin University of China.