▲ Oh Sang-uk holding his gold medal
Oh Sang-uk (30, Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall), who secured two gold medals in men's fencing at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, has been selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the South Korean delegation.
In the MVP voting results announced by the local press corps today (October 4), Oh outpaced his competitors to claim the highest honor.
He will receive a prize of 30 million won from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
Kim Taek-soo, head of the National Training Center, introduced him at a press conference held at the Korea House in Nagoya, Japan, that day, stating, "Oh Sang-uk won both the individual and team events, and in particular, he led a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the team final."
Despite chronic lower back pain caused by a herniated lumbar disc, Oh clenched his teeth and led the South Korean delegation.
On September 23, he defeated Shen Chenpeng of China 15-13 in the final of the men's sabre individual event at the Asian Games, achieving consecutive victories in the competition.
He did not let down his guard.
On September 26, alongside Park Sang-won (Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall), Do Kyung-dong (Daegu Metropolitan City Hall), and Hwang Hee-geun (Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps), he competed in the men's sabre team event, thrillingly defeating Japan 45-44 in the final to take the title.
In particular, during the final round of the team final, trailing 41-44, Oh reeled off four consecutive points to complete a dramatic turnaround, delivering a deep sense of emotion.
With this, Oh captured two gold medals for the second consecutive Asian Games, and fueled by his stellar performance, the South Korean men's sabre team achieved its 5th consecutive individual title and 4th consecutive team title at the Asian Games.
Having hung his 5th career Asian Games gold medal around his neck through this tournament, Oh narrowed the gap to just one gold medal behind sabre senior Gu Bon-gil (6 golds), who holds the record for the most gold medals by a South Korean athlete.
Through a separate review, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee also announced the winners of the Fighting Spirit Award, Improvement Award, and Leadership Award (each with a prize of 10 million won).
The Fighting Spirit Award went to teqball gold medalist Lee Jun-seok, the Improvement Award to canoe double gold medalists Cho Gwang-hee and Kim Hyo-bin, and the Leadership Award to 3x3 men's basketball head coach Bae Gil-tae.
In addition, national badminton head coach Park Joo-bong, men's marathon gold medalist Park Min-ho, men's street skateboarding champion Kang Jun-yi, sailing gold medalist Ha Jee-min, and archery compound men's individual gold medalist Kim Jong-ho were selected as special award winners.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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