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| Jo Joo-hyun, a silver medalist in women's foil at the World Youth Fencing Championships, and medalists are taking selfies together. Photo courtesy = Korea Fencing Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Fencing Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Fencing Association |
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'The Future of Korean Women's Fencing' Cho Joo-hyun (Jeonbuk Sports High School) and Jang Eun-chae (Daejeon Songchon High School) went to the individual podium at the World Youth Fencing Championships.
Cho Joo-hyun and Jang Eun-chae won silver and bronze medals in the women's foil and women's sabre individual competitions at the 2025 World Youth Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China, respectively. The achievements made by the prospects of the 'Fencing Korea' at this competition, where the world's top athletes under the age of 17 can participate and predict the future of fencing in each country, are significant.
Cho Joo-hyun clinched the silver medal in the women's foil final on the 11th by losing 5-11 to Ryu Jae-rin, a promising player from the United States. After winning all six individual preliminary rounds (group preliminary round), Cho Joo-hyun won all 64 to the semifinals with overwhelming skills. He beat Romania's Bianca Iubas 15-4 in the round of 64 and again 15-8 in the round of 32. In the round of 16, he beat Hong Kong's Lianchiu Zarina 15-9, and in the quarterfinals, he beat Canada's Lindsey Tong 15-7 to reach the semifinal podium for the first time on the international stage. In the semifinals, he won 15-10 against China's Zhuangshin, making his first final appearance. Unfortunately, he missed the gold medal in the final, but it was enough to confirm his competitiveness on the international stage.
Jo Joo-hyun said, "It was physically difficult to participate in the youth competition and youth competition at the same time, but I am happy to win the silver medal in the first individual competition at the world competition. I will not settle down here, and I want to be selected as a member of the national team, starting with the medal in this competition, and I will do my best to perform well in the Olympics and Asian Games." expressed his determination.
Cho Joo-hyun is a talented player selected for the youth and youth national teams at the same time, and is expected by the fencing community with the revival of the Korean women's foil, which has been stagnant since Nam Hyun-hee and Jeon Hee-sook. Cho Joo-hyun unfortunately missed the medal at the Kuwait Asian Youth Fencing Championships in February, but at the World Championships in two months, he proved his brilliant talent by winning his first individual medal at an international competition.
In particular, the Korea Fencing Association and its sponsor SKT are also pleased with the achievement of a silver medal in the world competition just two weeks after being selected as the target of the SK Telecom (SKT) Sports Dream Tree Development Project on the 28th of last month. It is a prime example of how strong corporate interest and sponsorship can serve as a motivation for teenage dreamers who are full of potential, and how quickly a systematic prospect support system can bear fruit.
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| Women's sabre bronze medalist Jang Eun Chae Photo courtesy of the Korea Fencing Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Fencing Association |
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Meanwhile, in the youth women's sabre individual event, Jang Eun-chae won the bronze medal. After a close game with Hong Kong's Yang Shu-han in the quarterfinals, he reached the semifinal podium with a 15-14 victory, and then lost to Chinese top-ranked Panchimiao 8-15 in the semifinals to secure the bronze medal. Following the individual and team bronze medals at the Kuwait Asian Youth and Youth Fencing Championships, Jang Eun-chae also won consecutive podiums at the World Championships. The women's sabre won the best silver medal ever in the team event at the Paris Olympics last year and is also on the medal march at the FIE World Cup and Grand Prix this season, so it is good to see the high school prospect perform well. It is expected to grow into a promising female Sabre player who will succeed 'Women Oh Sang-wook' as the 'Next Generation'.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
