Canadian men's sabre team falls to top-ranked South Korea in fencing quarterfinals

PARIS — Canada's men's sabre team fell 45-33 in quarterfinal action to top-ranked South Korea at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.

Fares Arfa of Laval, Que., was bested by Oh Sang-uk in the first relay, with four touches to his opponent's five.

The pair had earlier squared off in the quarterfinals of the men's individual sabre tournament, where Arfa was defeated by Oh, the eventual gold medallist.

Arfa took the fourth relay in the team event, with seven touches to five by South Korea's Gu Bongil, and tied 5-5 in the eighth relay against Park Sangwon.

Canadian Shaul Gordon won two of his three relays, including a 6-5 win over Oh.

South Korea went on to win team gold with a 45-41 win over Hungary in the championship round, while Canada finished eighth after losing 45-43 to the United States in a placement match.

Canada, featuring bronze medallist Eleanor Harvey of Hamilton, is considered a medal threat in the women's team foil competition that gets underway Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.

The Canadian Press