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| Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.27/ |
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| Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/ |
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Three years ago, the Tokyo Olympics were 'Half Success' for Oh Sang-wook (28).
He led the men's sabre team gold medal by taking responsibility for the last score. The South Korean men's sabre team succeeded in winning its second consecutive team event (the 2016 Rio Games were not held due to the rotation of events) following the 2012 competition with Oh Sang-wook's strong performance. However, in the highly anticipated individual competition, he kneeled in the quarterfinals. At that time, Oh Sang-wook was the world's No. 1 and was expected to win the first Korean fencing medal in the history of the Olympics. He challenged for the gold medal amid unfortunate variables such as failure to control his condition due to COVID-19 infection and ankle injury during the game, but lost 13-15 against Sandro Bajaje (Georgia) due to a dubious decision.
Oh Sang-wook did not bow his head. For three years, he has been playing the role of 'Ace' of the Sabres national team and has been running toward the Paris Olympics. At the last Hangzhou Asian Games, he finally won the individual gold medal. Oh Sang-wook, who shed tears after losing 14-15 to Koo Bon-gil in the final of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, met Koo Bon-gil again on the same stage as fate. He stood at the top of Asia with a complete victory over Koo Bon-gil, who was trying to win four consecutive games. Oh Sang-wook, who rose to the top of the list, overcame the aftereffects of a wrist injury earlier this year and regained his form by winning the individual title for the first time in five years at the last Asian Championships in Kuwait.
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| Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/ |
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Oh Sang-wook took the lead in winning the individual gold medal at the Paris Olympics. I've changed the style I've stuck to for a decade. He abandoned the past style of attacking quickly and changed the direction of seeking a gap by waiting for the opponent to attack. Oh, who struggled because he couldn't adjust to his new style at the Grand Prix and the World Cup, gained confidence by winning the Asian Championships.
Oh Sang-wook is 27 years old this year, but he has already had nearly 10 years of experience in national university. Oh Sang-wook, who became the first high school student in the Korean Sabres in 2014, attracted attention early on as a rising star and showed a sharp break in expectation. He began to make his name known by winning a bronze medal at the Padua World Cup in Italy in February 2015, his debut at the international competition, and he continued to grow and reached the top of the world rankings in his heyday in 2019. Following two Grand Prix wins in 2019, he swept the individual gold medal at the World Championships.
Oh Sang-wook started fencing along with his brother Oh Sang-min in 2009 when he was a freshman at Maebong Middle School in Daejeon. While studying and fencing at the same time, he started as a professional player from the third year of middle school as he showed talent by overpowering all his seniors a year in the second year of middle school. He was in the early 1m60s in middle school and grew to 1m92 by the time he graduated. Oh Sang-wook, who is tall, has a physique as good as Western players due to his long limbs, and has been evaluated as being second to none in speed and quickness, has stood tall as a stepping stone for Korean fencing, producing great results in each international competition.
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| Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.27/ |
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| Paris (France)=Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.27/ |
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Oh Sang-wook finally wrote a new history. Oh Sang-wook won the gold medal in the men's sabre individual fencing final at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Grand Palais, Paris, France on the 28th (Korea time). It is the fourth time that Korean fencing has won the individual competition, following Kim Young-ho, who won the gold medal in the men's foil at the 2000 Sydney Games, Kim Ji-yeon, who won the surprise gold medal in the women's sabre at the 2012 London Games, and Park Sang-young, who impressed the men's epee in the 2016 Rio Games.
Oh became a grand slammer with this gold medal. Oh Sang-wook, who won the 2019 Asian Championship, the 2019 World Championship, and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, even won the Olympic gold medal in the final puzzle, achieving the dignity of the individual Grand Slam. Oh Sang-wook is the first Korean player to reach the Grand Slam in an individual competition. Oh Sang-wook, who even won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's sabre individual event, rose from 'Ace' to 'GOAT'. Oh Sang-wook aims for another history in the team event on the 31st. He will try to win Korea's first Olympic gold medal in fencing for three consecutive years and two Olympic gold medals for the first time.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
