HONG KONG – China’s women’s sabre team claimed silver at the 2026 Fencing World Championships on Wednesday after losing 45-41 to Hungary in the final.
The result matched China’s best-ever finish in the event, equaling the silver medal won at the 2003 world championships.
China’s team of Pan Qimiao, Rao Xueyi, Zhang Xinyi and Wei Jiayi made a strong start in the final. Pan, 17, gave China an early 5-2 lead, before Rao extended the advantage to 10-3 against Anna Spiesz.
Hungary responded through Luca Szucs, who sparked a comeback in the third bout to put her team ahead 15-13.
China stayed within striking distance throughout the contest. Pan cut the deficit from 30-38 to 36-39 in the eighth bout, while Rao brought China within three points at 41-44 in the final bout. Hungary, however, held its nerve and scored the decisive point to secure the title.
French coach Cyril Verbrackel, who took charge of China’s sabre team after the 2024 Paris Olympics, said the defeat highlighted the gap in experience between the two teams.
“We are a young team and the Hungarian team is more experienced,” Verbrackel said. “We need to improve our technique and tactics. Today, 15 of our attacks did not score. Still, I am happy with the silver medal as we have made progress.”
Despite missing out on gold, the Chinese fencers remained encouraged by their performance.
“We performed well today,” Pan said. “There were just some small issues with our timing and attacks that we need to fix.”
Rao said she tried to stay focused after China fell behind in the final bout.
“When we were trailing, I just thought about letting go and trying my best to catch up,” she said. “I felt I had the right rhythm at the start, but I missed three key attacks later on. If I had scored those, the result might have been different.”
Zhang, one of the more experienced members of the squad, acknowledged she also struggled to convert opportunities.
“I feel my success rate on the offensive end wasn’t good today, missing several key attacks,” Zhang said. “But I am very proud of my team.”
The silver medal has strengthened China’s confidence ahead of the Asian Games, where the team hopes to challenge for gold in both individual and team events.
“At the Asian Games, we are aiming for gold in both the individual and team events,” Pan said. “Winning second place at the World Championships is a big boost for us. It is the end of this season and a new beginning for the team.”