(Asiad) Fencer Oh Sang-uk fully confident of victory at last thrust

In the men's sabre team final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, South Korea found themselves three points behind Japan, needing just one more point to secure the gold medal. With the title hanging in the balance, South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk remained composed, analyzing his opponent's patterns and strategies based on points he had previously given away.

Oh aimed to stay focused during the duel, constantly reflecting on his mistakes and moments where he could have performed better. During a mixed-zone interview, he explained, "I tried to remain more composed and tried to focus on the duel, while continuing to think about the data from the points that I had lost and about moments when I should've done (better)."

After a tense exchange, Oh scored three consecutive points, leveling the score at 44-44 against Japan's Mao Kokubo. As they lunged towards each other on the final attack, both fencers' thrusts coincided, causing both teams' members to cheer and jump in celebration. The referee raised a hand in favor of the South Korean team, confirming their victory.

Oh confidently declared, "Right after I made it, I was 100 percent sure we won. I predicted that the Japanese player would do that move, so I was confident that mine was faster." Before competing in the final ninth bout, Oh reassured his teammates, reminding them to trust him, "We thought we were just one team and we can do what we can do for each other."

Do Gyeong-dong, Park Sang-won, and Hwang Hee-geun echoed Oh's sentiment, emphasizing their unity as one team striving for success. Oh's confidence mirrored his performance at the 2012 Paris Olympics, where he played a crucial role in South Korea's third consecutive Olympic title victory against Hungary. Do Gyeong-dong recounted, "I first thought I put too much pressure on him, but it didn't matter.

Sang-uk said as a team, this always repeats." With the dramatic gold medal now secured, the fencers shift their focus to the future, particularly the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Park Sang-won expressed his commitment to achieving a ticket to LA, saying, "I will keep working and stay focused to get a ticket to the LA Olympics."