'I can see the Grand Slam!' Oh Sang-wook of the Men's Sabre advanced to the final of the individual competition!
Jul 28, 2024
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Oh Sang-wook defeated Italy's Luigi Samelle 15 times in the semifinals of the men's sabre individual event at the 2024 Paris Olympics held in Grand Palais, Paris, France on the 28th (Korea time). World No. 4 Oh Sang-wook made it to the final stage of the Olympics. I'm going for the gold medal. Oh Sang-wook, who unfortunately knelt in the quarterfinals at the last Tokyo Games, where he was ranked No. 1 in the world, was desperate and prepared for the past three years. Oh Sang-wook, who won two gold medals at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games, will achieve the dignity of the individual Grand Slam if he wins the gold medal at this tournament. Oh has previously won the World Championships, Asian Championships, and Asian Games. It was also the first Olympic gold medal in the men's sabre individual event.
Oh Sang-wook allowed his first three consecutive runs. He succeeded in attacking his head and found the flow. Soon after, he scored consecutive points and quickly succeeded in turning the tables. Oh Sang-wook, who gained momentum, finished the first period 8-4 with a sharp attack from time to time. The momentum continued in the second period. He succeeded in successive attacks and first stepped on the double-digit mark. It didn't stop. He continued to build up the score, 13–5, effectively deciding the game. Two more points with a nice attack to seal the win.
Oh Sang-wook beat Canada's Fares Arpa, who won his third consecutive gold medal in the quarterfinals, 15-12. Oh Sang-wook, who avoided Silaji, pushed Arpa hard from the beginning. They led 4–1. Later, he allowed a tie, but he took the lead again with a sharp attack. 8-5 to finish the first period. In the second period, despite the opponent's strong resistance, he steadily accumulated points and maintained the difference. Midway through, Arfa gave it a 12-12 tie. But Oh did not falter. They scored consecutive offensives to go 14-12 and secured the victory with the final attack.
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Oh Sang-wook defeated Evangiro (Niger) 15-8 in the round of 32 to advance to the round of 16. Oh Sang-wook, who led 5-0 with an attack using his unique length from the beginning of the 32nd round against Jiro, finished the game easily after an overwhelming game that led 8-2 when he finished the first period.
Meanwhile, other players who played in individual competitions on the same day were eliminated early. In the men's sabre, Park Sang-won (Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall) fell to his knees in the quarterfinals unfortunately. Park Sang-won, who competed in his first Olympics, defeated 18-year-old U.S. divinity Colin Heathcock 15-10 in the round of 32 to advance to the round of 16. China's Shen Chenfeng was once in the lead with a triumphant game, but he couldn't get past the end. He finished his first individual Olympic Games with a 11–15 defeat.
Koo Bon-gil turned away from the last Olympic individual event after losing 8-15 to Fares Perjani of Tunisia in the round of 32. Koo Bon-gil previously competed in the Olympics for the fourth time in a row since the 2012 London Games.
None of the women's epees made it to the quarterfinals. Kang Young-mi (Seo-gu Office, Gwangju), the oldest member of the women's epee national team born in 1985, lost 13-14 in the round of 32 after a close game against Nelly Dipert (Estonia). Lee Hye-in (Gangwon Provincial Office) failed to advance to the round of 16 by catching up with China's Witshan, the winner of this year's Asian Championship's individual tournament, 13-15.
Even Song Se-ra (Busan Metropolitan City Hall), who was the last hope, knelt in the round of 16. It lost 6-15 to Ester Mouhouri of Hungary. Song Se-ra, who was desperate after being eliminated from the round of 16 at the previous Tokyo Games, tried to win the gold medal in this tournament, but failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
