Singapore U-17 men’s foil team win historic gold at Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships 

SINGAPORE – It was their first outing as a quartet in a major competition, but the Singapore Under-17 men’s foil fencing team did not let a lack of experience stop them from overcoming Asian powerhouses to win a historic gold at the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Sean Ho, 16, Du Yun Tao, 15, Samuel Robson, 16 and Loo Keyon, 17, clinched Singapore’s first gold medal in the event after overcoming top seeds Japan 45-25 in the final on Sunday.

Fencing Singapore technical director Marko Milic praised the mental fortitude of his young charges after they prevailed in the 16-team competition.

The Serb pointed to how the quartet showed grit to edge out China 42-41 in a closely contested semi-final to earn their place in the title decider, after coming back from 11 points down to beat Australia 45-37 in the quarter-finals.

Milic said: “Team spirit was important for these boys. The medal comes as a result of the effort they have put into their craft.

“Along the way, we had a few close bouts where we really needed to show character, especially when we were down. The boys handled the mental aspect of the game really well.

“Fencing as a sport is more of a mental game and it is really important to believe in yourself.

“Those boys have high technical skills and here they showed mental resilience to win the gold.”

Singapore’s previous best result in the men’s foil team was a silver medal – in the 2015 and 2016 editions.

They won a bronze in 2019. The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to Covid-19 while the Republic did not send a contingent in 2022.

The team gold adds to the bronze won by Sean in the men’s individual foil on Friday.

In the cadet women’s events, Singapore’s epee team finished sixth out of 11 teams, while the sabre team were seventh out of nine sides.

Sean said it has been a memorable outing in his first competition of this scale, adding: “It was quite surreal being able to pit my skills against some of Asia’s best and come away with a bronze and gold medal...

“It feels good to know my level and I am looking forward to more of such competitions.”

For Samuel, the gold is a timely boost ahead of his SEA Games debut in Cambodia from May 5-17, when he will compete in the individual and team foil events.

He said: “It’s a big boost in confidence. I know that with all my teammates at Fencing Singapore, we have good chemistry and we can all work well together.

“My first win has showed me that you do not need to look at the opponents based on their flag.

“We just went out there and fenced to the best of our ability and were able to get the victory.

“We didn’t focus on the opponents or what their skill level was and I hope to do similar things in Cambodia.”

With a young quartet rising to the fore against Asia’s best, Milic is excited for the future of Singapore fencing.

He said: “This win means a lot. These cadets, they are the future. Fortunately for us, we have not lost progress despite the Covid-19 disruption.

“Every country had similar problems but our cadets have remained highly motivated.

“We are starting a new era and this is an encouragement that we should continue to improve our system and aspire for more medals.

“We are heading in the right direction and as I am confident and excited about the future of fencing for Singapore.”