South Korean fencer Oh Sang-wook (Daejeon City Hall) is one step away from winning his second consecutive gold medal in the individual men's sabre event at the Asian Games.
On September 23, at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, Oh defeated Kazakhstan's Artur Sarkisyan 15-9 in the semifinals of the men's sabre individual event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. With this victory, Oh has secured a silver medal and is now aiming for back-to-back titles following his win at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Ranked third in the world, Oh finished the group stage with three wins and two losses, having dropped two matches. However, he regained his form in the knockout rounds, defeating Hong Kong's Hugo Ho Pak-lam 15-9 in the round of 16 and overpowering Royce Chan, who had gone undefeated in the group stage, 15-6 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Oh took control early, finishing the first period with a 8-4 lead. Although Sarkisyan closed the gap to 8-7 shortly after the break, Oh did not allow a comeback. He extended his lead again and ultimately sealed the match at 15-9.
The anticipated final showdown between South Korean competitors did not materialize, as second-ranked Do Gyeong-dong (Daegu City Hall) was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sarkisyan, losing 15-14. Do led 8-4 at the end of the first period but allowed a comeback in the second half, resulting in his narrow defeat.
Oh has consistently reached the podium in the Asian Games individual events. He won a silver medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games after losing to Gu Bon-gil by a single point, and he claimed his first gold medal in the individual event at the Hangzhou Games by defeating Gu in a rematch. He also won gold in the team event, making him a double champion.
By reaching the final in this tournament, Oh has successfully advanced to the men's sabre individual final for the third consecutive Asian Games. A victory in the final will complete his quest for back-to-back titles following his success in Hangzhou. The final is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. today.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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