Song Sera, a South Korean women's épée fencer competing for the Busan Metropolitan City team, has won a gold medal at an International Fencing Federation (FIE) World Cup for the first time in one year and four months.
Song, ranked world No. 1 in women's individual épée, defeated Katrina Lehis of Estonia 15-11 in the final of the FIE Épée World Cup women's individual event held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday.
The victory marks Song's first World Cup individual gold since the Vancouver World Cup in November 2024. Having failed to win any individual medals this season, she made her first medal of the campaign a gold. Her last individual medal at an international competition was a bronze at the World Championships held in Georgia in July last year.
With the gold medal in hand, Song expressed an optimistic outlook for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games scheduled for September. "With the Asian Championships, World Championships, and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games all ahead this year, I will focus on managing my condition, preventing injuries, and maintaining my performance," she said. "I will do my best to stand on the highest place on the podium at Aichi-Nagoya as well."
In the women's sabre World Cup individual event held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Kim Jung-mi finished fifth and Seo Ji-yeon placed eighth, both representing the Ansan City team. In the men's sabre World Cup individual event held in Budapest, Hungary, Do Kyung-dong of the Daegu City team finished 11th and Oh Sang-uk of the Daejeon City team placed 12th.