(LEAD) (Asian Games) Park Sang-young wins silver in men's individual epee fencing

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By Yoo Jee-ho

JAKARTA, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean fencer Park Sang-young captured silver in the men's individual epee at the 18th Asian Games on Sunday while battling through pain in both legs.

Park, world No. 3 and 2016 Olympic champion, fell to the eighth-ranked Dmitriy Alexanin of Kazakhstan 15-12 at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Cendrawashi Hall in Jakarta.

South Korea missed out on a chance to become the first nation to win the men's individual epee gold in three straight Asian Games. Kim Won-jin started the streak in 2010 and Jung Jin-sun followed up in 2014. But Jung ended up taking bronze on Sunday, and Park came up just short as well.

The South Korean came down with an apparent right knee injury early in the match. He came up limping when he was down 4-2 and took a medical timeout to have the knee iced and massaged.

He won the first point out of the medical break but then gave up five straight points as the match slipped out of his hands.

Then, losing 12-10 with 40 seconds remaining, Park went down wincing at pain in his left knee. After getting it treated, Park hung tough and made it 13-12 with 14 ticks to go.

But Alexanin got a point back just two seconds later and then finally closed out the resilient South Korean with a clinching point at 6.7 ticks remaining.

Park said nerves got the better of him even before the start of the final, and refused to make his wonky knees an excuse.

"If I had kept composure and just slowed things down, maybe the result would have been different," Park said. "But Alexanin was such a tough opponent. And I certainly didn't lose because of my knees. He just flat out beat me."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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