SEA Games 2023: Teens Elle Koh, Samuel Robson maintain Singapore's dominance in fencing
Elle retains epee title while Samuel wins on Games debut; Singapore also earn unlikely xiangqi gold via Ngo Lan Huong
SINGAPORE — Singapore fencers continued to dominate the competition at the SEA Games, winning both individual gold medals at stake on Saturday (13 May).
Elle Koh - who won the women's individual epee gold at last year's Hanoi Games at the age of just 14 - retained her title after defeating Vietnam's Vu Thi Hong 15-10 in the final at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center Hall B.
Now 15, Elle - the daughter of Fencing Singapore president Juliana Seow and national epee partner coach Henry Koh - had also narrowly defeated compatriot and Olympian, Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman, 12-11 in their semi-final bout, a rematch of last year's final.
While Elle becomes a two-time gold medallist, Samuel Robson marked his debut SEA Games with a triumphant effort, winning gold in the men's individual foil event.
The 17-year-old easily defeated the Philippines' Sammuel Tranquilan 15-3 in the final, after beating Malaysia's Cheng Xing Han 15-6 in the semi-finals.
Singapore has won five out of six individual gold medals at the fencing competition so far, with only the men's individual sabre gold eluding the city-state. The team events will begin on Sunday.
Ngo Lan Huong snares xiangqi gold
Singapore's third gold of the day came from an unlikely source - in xiangqi (Chinese chess), as Ngo Lan Huong emerged champion of the women's standard single round competition after finishing with the best record out of nine competitors.
She secured the gold after defeating compatriot Fiona Tan in her final match on Saturday. Tan finished fourth overall and earned the joint-bronze medal.
Before the 44-year-old became a Singapore citizen in 2017, she was a full-time professional xiangqi player and had been a 10-time national champion in Vietnam, her country of birth,
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