A trio of women – Eun Hyo Cho, Hyo Kyeong Kwon and Gyeong Hye Baek – will represent their country coached by Dayoung Park, who has been at the centre of South Korea’s return to the highest heights.

Over the last three years, Cho and Kwon in particular, have made an impact on the global stage. Cho grabbed silver in the women’s epee category B at last year’s World Championships in Terni, Italy, as well as medalling at World Cups and Asian Championships since she emerged onto the international scene in 2022.

Kwon meanwhile has also made an impact, topping multiple World Cup podiums in the women’s category A and winning two consecutive under 23s world titles in epee. At 23-years-old Kwon is still very young in a sport where the consensus is, you learn with age.

With this success behind them, the South Koreans began to look at where their best chances were of qualification for Paris 2024.

“Since 2022, we have trained both men and women teams hard for tickets to Paris 2024,” Park said. “As the days are getting close to Paris, the women’s team had more possibility for the qualification compared to men’s and it had more importance to us, since if women’s team get the tickets for Paris, this will be the first time for Korean Wheelchair Fencing team to be qualified for Paralympics on their own in 12 years. Therefore we decided to focus more on the women’s team.”

Wheelchair fencing has always had its female stars, and the coaches that sit behind them. But South Korea is leading the way, alongside countries such as Thailand, China and Ukraine who also have a combination of female coaches and leading athletes.

So is there a secret as to why the women of the South Korean team emerged as their best hopes for a return to the Paralympic stage?

“It’s hard to say but since the coaching staff, including myself, are all women, it’s easier to communicate and understand the fencers since we have a lot in common,” Park suggested.

“Since [our] Head Coach is also female, we have a lot in common and that makes it easier for us to communicate. However, some people think female coaches are not as strong and competent enough as male coaches. I do not think that’s true and I think a female coach is just as strong and competent as a male coach.”

South Korea have a long history in wheelchair fencing, and have invested in their coaching capabilities and athletes. The Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games inspired the country to take the sport to the next level after it was introduced by the Korea Polio Association in 1986.

According to Park, the focus has never been specifically on male or female athletes, only those who had the most potential. All members of the national team are professional athletes who train seven days a week at the National Training Centre in Incheon, run by the Korean Paralympic Committee, and more than 10 wheelchair fencing training facilities all over the country.

Park began her career in 2016 with the wheelchair fencing team in Gwangju City:

“At that time I didn’t know enough about their disability so everything was quite difficult. However thanks to the help from the fencers, media, and education, I learned more about disability and that helped to become a better coach.”

With exceptional fencers – in particular Kwon and Cho – and lots of experience behind them South Korea can dare to dream for Paris 2024. The hope is that they can add to the five medals won across Paralympic Games, all that came in the late 1980s and 1990s – and all won by men. Todays’ fencers follow in the footsteps of legendary fencers such as Seoul 1988 men’s epee gold medallist Tae-Hoon Park.

But Coach Park is staying humble and controlled – but still ambitious – in her expectations:

“It’s been less than 3 years since we participated at World Cups regularly and my team has made good results so far. I think it’s more important to remind ourselves that we will get stronger, rather than feeling the pressure.

“We are aiming for the highest place on the podium at Paris 2024.”