South Korean fencer Shin Lam stops competition in protest

July 30, 2012: Shin Lam was left in tears after controversy in the fencing (GETTY IMAGES)

The South Korean fencer Shin Lam halted competition for 70 minutes yesterday after losing her semi-final bout with Germany’s Britta Heidemann in the final second – after the clock had been controversially reset to show a second remaining.

Heidemann took advantage of the extra second to land the decisive blow of a 6-5 victory. Shin, in tears, refused to budge from the piste – after all, what’s 70 minutes after four years of training – her coach had to be escorted from the venue, the South Korean’s appeal was rejected and to cap it all, she then lost the bronze medal match.

"It was a very difficult hour," Shin said of her protest. "While I was up there I was thinking of all the time that I’ve spent training for the Olympics."