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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual final of the men's sabre fencing held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 28th (Korea time), faced Tunisian Perjani and won the gold medal. Oh Sang-uk proudly flies the Korean flag. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual final of the men's sabre fencing held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 28th (Korea time), faced Tunisian Perjani and won the gold medal. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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Oh Sang-uk kissed the gold medal. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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His journey has always been marked by determination. Three years ago, he was ranked No. 1 in the world, but the gold medal in the individual event at the Olympics seemed elusive.
At the Asian Games, his luck was inconsistent. In the final match of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang tournament, he lost 14-15 to Koo Bon-gil. However, he showed his resilience at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.
Fate brought him face-to-face with Koo Bon-gil again on the same stage. This time, he emerged victorious, defeating Koo Bon-gil, who was aiming for his fourth consecutive win, and secured his place as the top fencer in Asia.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, he aimed for a gold medal despite challenges like recovering from COVID-19 and an ankle injury during the games. He narrowly lost 13-15 to Sandro Bajaje (Georgia) due to a controversial decision in the quarterfinals. Nonetheless, he led the men's sabre team to a gold medal, marking their second consecutive Olympic win following the 2012 London Games (the 2016 Rio Games did not include the event).
This set the stage for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 'Flower Handsome Fencer' Oh Sang-uk made history by winning the gold medal in the men's sabre individual final, defeating Tunisia's Fares Ferjani at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 28th (Korean time).
This victory marks the fourth time Korean fencing has won an individual Olympic gold, following Kim Young-ho (men's foil, 2000 Sydney Games), Kim Ji-yeon (women's sabre, 2012 London Games), and Park Sang-young (men's epee, 2016 Rio Games).
Oh Sang-uk's Olympic journey was fraught with challenges. A wrist injury was a significant setback. In May, he lost 12-15 to Philippe Dolesich (ranked 78th at the time) at the international Grand Prix in Seoul and was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the World Cup in Madrid.
However, Oh's perseverance paid off. His string of failures fueled his determination. Last month, he revived his performance in both individual and team events at the Asian Championships.
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| Oh Sang-wook, who won the individual final of the fencing men's sabre held in Grand Palais, Paris, France on the 28th (Korea time), faced Tunisian Perjani and won the gold medal. Oh Sang-wook cheers after scoring. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/ |
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| Oh Sang-wook, who won the individual final of the fencing men's sabre held in Grand Palais, Paris, France on the 28th (Korea time), won the gold medal against Tunisian Perjani. Oh Sang-wook attacks without hesitation. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.28/ |
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Oh Sang-uk began fencing alongside his brother Oh Sang-min in 2009 as a freshman at Maebong Middle School in Daejeon. He quickly showed talent, overpowering his seniors by his second year. Despite being in the early 160s in height in middle school, he grew to 192 by graduation. His physique, combined with his speed and agility, made him a formidable competitor on the international stage.
At 27, with nearly a decade of national team experience, Oh Sang-uk has made a name for himself. He won a bronze medal at the Padua World Cup in Italy in 2015 and reached the top of the world rankings in 2019, with multiple Grand Prix and World Championship victories.
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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual gold medal in the men's sabre fencing at the '2024 Paris Olympics' at the Grand Palais in Paris on the 28th (Korea time), poses with Tunisian Perjani (left) and Italian Samele, the silver medalist. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual gold medal in the men's sabre fencing at the '2024 Paris Olympics' at the Grand Palais in Paris on the 28th (Korea time), poses with Tunisian Perjani (left) and Italian Samele, the silver medalist. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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This gold medal completes Oh's grand slam, following his victories at the 2019 Asian Championship, the 2019 World Championship, and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. He is the first Korean fencer to achieve a Grand Slam in an individual competition.
In the mixed zone, Oh expressed his joy: "I'm so happy. I want to rest but will do so after winning the team gold medal. I didn't know it was the first gold medal for the Korean team in this tournament. This medal brings great honor."
Oh's toughest match was the quarterfinals. Initially, he expected to face Hungary's Aron Szilagyi, a three-time Olympic champion, but instead competed against Canada's Fares Arfa. Despite the unexpected opponent and lack of data, his coach's encouragement helped him secure victory.
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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual gold medal in the men's sabre fencing at the '2024 Paris Olympics' at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 28th (Korea time), is taking a commemorative photo with Tunisian Perjani (left) and Italian Samele, the silver medalist. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/ |
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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual final of the men's sabre fencing held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 28th (Korea time), faced Tunisian Perjani and won the gold medal. Oh Sang-uk cheers after scoring the final point. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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In the final, he dominated but allowed his opponent to close in with one point remaining. "The final opponent was more challenging. I was very nervous and sweating a lot, but Coach Sam's words helped me," Oh said.
Since the Tokyo Games, Oh has evolved his fencing style, becoming more patient and strategic. Overcoming his slump was a mental battle, and intense training helped him move past his injuries and trauma.
Oh expressed gratitude to his teammates, particularly Kim Jun-ho and Kim Jung-hwan, who retired after the Tokyo Games. "Someone would have won the gold medal even if it wasn't me. It's all thanks to the brothers. I want to say thank you to the Tokyo members."
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Oh Sang-uk, who won the individual final of the men's sabre fencing held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 28th (Korea time), faced Tunisian Perjani and won the gold medal. Oh Sang-uk cheers after scoring the final point. Paris, France = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.07.28/
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Now, Oh aims to become a two-time Olympic champion and secure a third consecutive team victory. "Individual competitions are tough because they rely on personal performance, but team events are rewarding as they involve overcoming challenges together," he said.
Oh Sang-uk sets his sights on making more history in the team event on the 31st.
