The South Korean men's sabre team secured a gold medal on September 26 at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by defeating Japan in the final. This victory marks the fourth consecutive championship for Korea in the team event since the 2014 Incheon Games.
Composed of Do Kyung-dong, Park Sang-won, Oh Sang-wook, and Hwang Hee-keun, the South Korean team gained momentum by crushing Hong Kong 45-24 in the semifinals. Although they briefly fell behind Japan in the final, Oh Sang-wook's performance helped them fend off the home team's challenge and clinch the gold.
World No. 3 Oh Sang-wook (Daejeon City Hall) achieved a remarkable feat by winning both the individual and team events at this tournament, making him a two-time Asian Games champion following the Hangzhou Games.
After winning the individual final on September 23, Oh expressed his initial concerns about the pressure but emphasized the strength of the team, stating, "At first, I thought I had to bear the weight alone, but everyone has their own strengths, and when we come together, we are strong enough." He looked forward to the team event with his junior teammates.
Oh has continued to build his medal collection, adding to his golds from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in both the team and individual events, as well as the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games team event and the 2022 Hangzhou Games individual and team events.
The South Korean men's sabre team has long held the title of Asia's strongest in the Asian Games. With this latest victory, South Korean fencing has enjoyed a rich medal haul at the event, led by Oh Sang-wook and women's épée champion Song Se-ra, both of whom won gold in their respective individual and team events.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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