SEA Games 2023: Singapore’s Elle Koh retains epee title, Samuel Robson wins foil final

PHNOM PENH – Familiar and familial support paved the way for Elle Koh and Samuel Robson as they continued Singapore’s dominance of the SEA Games fencing programme by adding two further golds on Saturday.

Elle, 15, retained her women’s individual epee crown as she outfought Vietnam’s Vu Thi Hong 15-10 in a match that ran almost the full nine minutes of regulation time.

Her semi-final against fellow Singaporean Kiria Tikanah, 22, was even more draining. The latter had led 11-8 before Elle won the next three points to force sudden death and then scored the decisive point to prevail 12-11, similar to how the 2022 final in Hanoi between them went.

At 11-11 here in Phnom Penh, Elle had to stop and was rubbing her right knee. Kiria immediately went to her corner to retrieve a bottle of cold spray for her injured compatriot. Elle was able to continue and later paid tribute to her teammate.

“She was the hardest opponent for me, mentally and physically. Outside competition, we are both friends,” she said. “Despite us neck and neck at 11-11, she still cared for me and wanted to make sure I didn’t get even more injured.”

Elle has a partial tear on her medial collateral ligament and strained anterior cruciate ligament and said it “causes restriction on squatting and how much I can turn my knee”.

Whatever soreness she felt did not hamper her movement against Hong, 23, as Elle led 3-1 after the first three-minute period and never trailed. After landing the last point, she screamed in celebration and descended the piste to hug her coach and father Henry.

The older Koh was pleased not just with his daughter’s back-to-back gold medals, but also her progress in the last 12 months. Elle, who is right-handed but fences with her left, beat Hong 15-14 in the 2022 semi-finals that could have gone either way.

“She fenced exactly how I wanted her to. She was in control of the final and is better, more matured now,” he said.

Games debutant Samuel, 17, meanwhile, betrayed little nerves in his first major final as he overwhelmed Filipino Sammuel Tranquilan, who appeared to be struggling with cramp in his left wrist, 15-3 to capture the men’s foil title.

He said: “I’ve been fencing for 10 years, so this is a culmination of my efforts and a milestone I’m very happy to achieve.

“I was focused throughout the final, didn’t let up at any point even when I was leading by a large margin. That’s something I was very pleased about.”

It was especially sweet for his biggest fans, dad Paul, 56; mum Shirley, 48; and grandmother Lucy, 82, were in the stands cheering him on.

“She’s only ever seen him in training. It’s the first time my mother is watching her grandson fence in a competition, so this is very special for her,” said Paul.

The Republic has won five of the six individual golds on offer at the Chroy Changvar International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Fencing Singapore technical director Marko Milic said the haul was not unexpected and challenged his athletes to maintain their levels for the rest of the competition. The team events start on Sunday with another six titles up for grabs.