Oh Sang-uk Wins Men's Sabre Individual Gold at Asian Fencing Championships After Two-Year Wait

South Korean fencing star Oh Sang-uk has reclaimed the top spot in the individual event at the Asian Fencing Championships after a two-year hiatus.

Oh secured the victory in the men's sabre individual event at the 2026 Asian Fencing Championships held in Delhi, India, on June 19 (local time).

With this win, Oh has captured the individual gold medal at the Asian Championships for the first time in two years since 2024.

Oh, who swept both the individual and team events at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, has signaled a promising outlook ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games this September, where he will defend his titles.

On this day, Oh defeated Karan Singh (India) 15-11 in the Round of 32, followed by a 15-6 victory over Islambek Abdazov (Uzbekistan) in the Round of 16, and a 15-12 win against Mao Kokubo (Japan) in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Oh defeated his national teammate and last year's individual champion, Do Gyeong-dong, 15-9, before going on to beat Luo Xiaotong (China) 15-8 in the final.

Although Do Gyeong-dong's title defense was thwarted by his loss to Oh in the semifinals, he earned a bronze medal, marking his second consecutive year on the podium in the individual event at the Asian Championships.

The national fencing team is competing in the tournament while the Korea Fencing Federation faces administrative paralysis back home. The federation's headquarters at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul has been blocked due to protests condemning the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections.

Athletes were unable to retrieve their equipment, including fencing blades, and had to source them individually from their respective clubs, while the federation has also faced difficulties in processing payments and other administrative costs.

Choi Shin-won, president of the Korea Fencing Federation, who also serves as vice president of the Fencing Confederation of Asia, visited the site to encourage the athletes.

Oh Sang-uk and Do Gyeong-dong will aim to join forces for a gold medal in the team event on June 22.

(Photo courtesy of Korea Fencing Federation, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.