
Oh Sang-uk captured the gold medal in the men’s individual sabre fencing at the Paris Summer Games on Saturday, giving Korea its first gold of this year’s Olympics.
Oh, world No. 4, defeated 14th-ranked Fares Ferjani of Tunisia by 15-11 in the gold medal bout at Grand Palais in Paris, a match he mostly dominated despite the closer-than-it-should-have-been final score.
Oh, 27, became the first Korean man to win an individual sabre gold. His former teammate, Kim Jung-hwan, had won two bronze medals in the discipline.
Oh’s was Korea’s third medal Saturday, the first day of the medal race following the opening ceremony.
Korea has now won a gold medal on the first day of every Summer Olympics since 2008.
He has now won an individual gold 한국을 medal in all four major competitions for Asian fencers: the Olympics, the Asian Games, the world championships and the Asian championships.
Oh was part of a gold medal-winning team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and will try to repeat the feat in Paris on Wednesday.
Oh and Ferjani were knotted at 3-3 before the Korean went on a 5-1 run to close out the first period. Oh then scored three quick hits to open up an 11-4 lead and promptly moved within a point of the gold medal at 14-5.