TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's men's epee team made history by reaching the semifinals for the first time at the Fencing World Cup in Canada on Monday (Dec. 8). Coach Lai Ming-Chu (賴明助) expressed satisfaction with the athletes' performance, despite not reaching the podium. The team, led by Leon Lee (李讓) and including Yilu Guillemot (葛屹盧), Junming Wu (吳俊明), and Hsu Ching-wen (徐敬文), showcased impressive skills in Vancouver.
Taiwan defeated Venezuela and Ukraine in the initial rounds and overcame Japan 45-40 in the quarterfinals. Although they lost to Switzerland in the semifinals and Hungary in the bronze medal match, Lai emphasized that the team's performance elevated Taiwan's international fencing status. Lai told Central News Agency (CNA, 中央社) that the athletes gained significant confidence after passing the initial team rounds, particularly during their match against Japan.
Lee's leadership as the anchor fencer drew praise from Lai, with Lee's coach, Ten Chi-shan (鄧吉善), motivating him using a famous quote from Cristiano Ronaldo. Lai noted that the team, with an average age of 24, previously finished sixth in the team event at this year's Asian Championships and secured training qualifications for the Nagoya Asian Games. He thanked the Taiwan Sports Training Center (NSTC, 國訓中心) for its support and expressed hope for more opportunities to compete and train in Europe, which would help the athletes adapt to European fencing styles.