Oh Sang-wook (Daejeon City Hall) achieved a thrilling comeback victory to secure his second consecutive gold medal in the men's sabre individual event at the Asian Games.
On September 23, at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, Oh defeated China's Sun Chuanpeng 15-13 in the final match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games fencing men's sabre individual event.
Having won the individual title at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Oh successfully defended his title, marking the fifth consecutive gold for South Korea in the men's sabre individual event. Gu Bon-gil previously achieved three consecutive victories from the 2010 Guangzhou Games to the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, and now Oh has added two consecutive titles to this streak.
The final match was unpredictable until the end. Oh started strong, leading 4-1, but after suffering an ankle injury, he allowed his opponent to take the lead. However, he regained his composure and finished the first period ahead 8-7.
The second period saw an even tighter contest. Oh fell behind 9-11 but managed to tie the score at 11-11 with consecutive points, only to fall behind again at 11-13.
With just two points away from defeat, Oh's focus shone through. He launched a bold attack, scoring four consecutive points to tie the match at 13-13 and then took the lead. The final point was subject to video review but was confirmed as a score for Oh, ending the match at 15-13. Oh secured the gold medal by scoring four points in the final moments.
Oh's journey to the final was not without challenges. He recorded three wins and two losses in the preliminary rounds, showing some inconsistency. However, he found his form in the knockout stage, defeating Hong Kong's Hugo Ho 15-9 in the round of 16, and then beating another Hong Kong fencer, Royce Chan, 15-6 in the quarterfinals. He advanced to the final by overcoming Kazakhstan's Artur Sarkisyan 15-9 in the semifinals.
Since last year, Oh has been dealing with a herniated disc injury, which has limited his training. Instead of opting for surgery, he chose rehabilitation and recovery, but he struggled to achieve expected results at the World Championships. Nevertheless, he increased his training volume a month before the Asian Games and ultimately claimed the gold medal. Oh will compete in the team event on September 26, aiming for a second gold medal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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