"Oh Sang-wook, you're the best!" Lee Han-sang (Olympics) who made the first two Olympic gold medals in Korean fencing history

Aug 01, 2024

South Korea won the men's sabre team fencing final match between South Korea and Hungary at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Grand Palais, France, on the 1st (Korean time). Oh Sang-wook, who played 9 bouts, is cheering when his victory is confirmed. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.1/

South Korea won the men's sabre team fencing final match between South Korea and Hungary at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Grand Palais, France, on the 1st (Korean time). Koo Bon-gil is in Oh Sang-wook's arms. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.1/

"You're the best" made him a two-time winner of the Paris Olympics."

>'World No. 1' Oh Sang-wook (27, Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall) said a word that led to the 'Korea's first two Olympic gold medals in fencing' at the Paris Olympics.

South Korea won the gold medal in the men's sabre team fencing match between South Korea and Hungary at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Grand Palais, France, on the 1st (Korea time). 2 Bout Oh Sang-wook is facing Christian Love. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.1/

The men's sabre team consisting of Oh Sang-wook, Koo Bon-gil (35, National Sports Promotion Agency), Park Sang-won (23, Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall), and Do Kyung-dong (24, National Military Sports Unit) defeated the difficult opponent Hungary 45-41 in the team final at the Paris Olympics held in Grand Palais, Paris, on the 1st (Korea time), marking the third consecutive victory following London in 2012 and Tokyo in 2021. Oh Sang-wook, who gave the South Korean team its first gold medal in the men's sabre individual event on the 27th, was named the first two gold medals in Korean fencing history and the first two gold medals in the Paris Olympic team. He has collected three Olympic gold medals, including the Tokyo Games. After securing three consecutive wins, Do Kyung-dong, who made Oh Sang-wook a role model, left the saying, "'We live in the era of Oh Sang-wook now.'" Oh Sang-wook, who was praised by his junior, corrected himself by saying, `We are just living in the era of Avengers+Fencing.' When asked who is stronger among Kim Jung-hwan, Koo Bon-gil, and Kim Jun-ho, who collaborated in Tokyo gold, and Park Sang-won, who joined after Kim Jung-hwan and Kim Jun-ho left the national team, and Do Kyung-dong, Oh answered without hesitation, "'The Avengers'. "There were a lot of seniors who were Nong-ik and I was the youngest member of the team for a long time. The New Avengers are powerful and energetic. After explaining that there is a tsunami-like power", I expected that as Do Kyung-dong and Park Sang-won showed good performance through this Olympics, they will soon be able to surpass 'The Avengers'." Asked if the South Korean men's sabre could break Hungary's record of seven consecutive losses in the Olympic team event, Oh replied, `I don't know about seven consecutive losses, but I think I can achieve four consecutive losses at the LA Olympics in four years.'

South Korea won the gold medal in the men's sabre team fencing match between South Korea and Hungary at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Grand Palais, France, on the 1st (Korea time). Koo Bon-gil, Park Sang-won, Oh Sang-wook, and Do Kyung-dong (from left) are raising three fingers on the podium, meaning three consecutive Olympic games. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.1/

Oh Sang-wook, who ranked No. 1 in the world along with the gold medal in the individual competition at the Paris Olympics, cited "You're the best" as the most powerful word at the Paris Olympics. "The word stuck in my mind the most. It's the word that gave me the most strength. Coach Won Woo-young and Do Kyung-dong continued to cheer for me, saying they were the best."

Even after achieving his first two-time goal in individual and team events, Oh is still hungry. Recalling his struggles against the last nine bouts, Aaron Schillage, and also the scene in which he allowed Sebastian Patrice to chase in the last nine bouts of the semifinals against France, he vowed a more complete fencing. "I was a little shaken from the end of the semifinal match against France. If the team event had been completed easily and in a good mood, I could have been complacent for about 30 minutes. "It was a shame to finish." I was happy to win a medal, but I also doubted if I could win the next time I met that player. This idea will be a strong motivation to focus on fencing again."

sky4us@sportschosun.com