South Korea's fencing ace Oh Sang-uk (Daejeon City Hall) has overcome injuries to achieve consecutive individual titles in the men's sabre at the Asian Games.

On the 23rd, Oh defeated Shen Chenpeng (China) 15-13 in the final of the men's individual sabre at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, claiming the gold medal.

Having reached the top of this event at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, Oh won his second consecutive gold medal, successfully defending his Asian Games individual title. Having won the silver medal after losing to national team senior Gu Bon-gil at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, Oh now records two gold medals and one silver medal in the individual event across three appearances.

Having also won gold medals in the team event in 2018 and 2022, Oh increased his total number of Asian Games gold medals to four with this individual victory.

According to Yonhap News, Oh said after the match, "I felt a sense of pressure because I had to defend my title, but I'm glad I overcame it. Before coming here, I felt a lot of pressure, but I tried to focus more on the game. Starting yesterday, I used a lot of self-hypnosis and practiced mind control."

This victory carries even greater significance as it is an achievement carved out by overcoming injuries. Oh prepared for the Asian Games while dealing with a back injury throughout the previous season.

He revealed, "My disc herniated, and I still have pain. I paid a lot of attention to conditioning exercises and treatment, and starting one or two months before the Asian Games, I focused heavily on technical and tactical training."

He explained, "It wasn't that it had no impact on the matches, but the moment I stepped onto the piste, I forgot about it. I went in with the mindset that if I lose, an injury is just an excuse."

Regarding the possibility of surgery, he said, "I was told that surgery was up to my choice, but I didn't do it because the Asian Games were coming up soon. Now I think I need to figure out what would be better."

In the final on this day, his feet overlapped early in the match, causing an impact on his ankle.

Regarding this, Oh said, "It feels a bit throbbing, but I don't think it will be a problem for competing in the team event."

Initially, a final showdown between defending champion Oh Sang-uk and world number two Do Kyung-dong (Daegu City Hall) was anticipated in the men's individual sabre, but it did not materialize. The two players were bracketed to meet in the semifinals based on group stage results, but Do was eliminated after suffering a comeback defeat in the quarterfinals.

Oh said, "I naturally thought we would meet, but it seems Do Kyung-dong had some injuries along the way. It's a pity we couldn't meet. Still, Kyung-dong cheered me on a lot, and I felt a strong sense that I needed to do his share as well, so I'm glad I managed to resolve it."

Trailing Shen Chenpeng 11-13 in the final, Oh turned the match around with four consecutive points in the closing moments.

He evaluated, "Shen Chenpeng has become really trickier than before. The Kazakhstan player I met in the semifinals was also tricky. I can feel physically that Asia is getting stronger."

Having swept both the individual and team events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Oh demonstrated his status as the flagship of South Korean men's sabre by defending his individual throne at this competition as well.

Oh emphasized, "The team event is still left, so rather than being overly satisfied and proud, I will enjoy it after everything is over. There is no time to be satisfied yet, even with the individual event. The gold medal in the team event is so clearly in sight that I think I will truly feel happy only after winning that as well."

The team event stage will take place on the 26th.

He expressed confidence, saying, "The team event feels like it will be very comfortable. When competing alongside the athletes I'm with now, I've never thought about not being able to win gold. Since I can do it while trusting my teammates, there is no pressure. I honestly think we can definitely win the gold medal no matter what."

Regarding leading the junior athletes participating in their first major international multisport event as the eldest member of the men's sabre national team, he added, "At first, I thought I had to carry something on my shoulders, but I believe the younger guys have enough strength of their own. I think they can bond together even without me leading them. I trust them."

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