South Korean fencing's absolute ace Oh Sang-uk (Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall) has once again proven his world-class status with a remarkable comeback victory that secured a fourth consecutive Asian Games team title.

Oh led South Korea to a 45-44 comeback win in the final ninth round after entering a 39-40 deficit during the men's sabre team final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (26th).

In the final, South Korea led 30-26 up to the sixth round, but fell into a crisis in the seventh when Do Kyung-dong (Daegu Metropolitan City Hall) allowed a counterattack to Kento Yoshida, giving up the lead and turning the score to 32-35.

Although Park Sang-won (Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall) narrowed the gap to a single point in the eighth round, the deficit persisted, and Oh Sang-uk, upon whom high hopes were pinned, found himself cornered as he trailed 41-44.

On the verge of defeat with just one more point needed by the opponent, Oh returned as a clutch player. Executing quick parry-ripostes and height-advantaged attacks in succession, he pressured Japan's ace Mao Kokubo and brought the score level to 44-44.

He then landed a decisive final blow to Kokubo's upper body to seal a thrilling 45-44 epic comeback.

It was a historic point that completed South Korea's fourth straight Asian Games team title and Oh's second consecutive double crown.

Having vowed to sweep the team event after claiming the individual gold medal three days prior and saying, "I will celebrate after everything is over," Oh smiled and said, "It feels real now that it's over, and I'm happy."

Regarding being cornered at 41-44, he shared, "I tried very hard to maintain my composure. I conceded a few points, but I processed that data to figure out what to do and tried to focus solely on that match."

South Korea's 45th point scored by Oh was recognized only after a video review requested by the referees. He asserted, "The moment I hit him, I thought it was 100 percent a win. I figured I should make whatever appeal I could, and I was certain."

Before stepping onto the strip for the final round, Oh reportedly made a promise to a disheartened Do Kyung-dong that he would take care of it.

Do breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Sang-uk hyung told me, 'I'll take care of it, so don't worry too much.' I felt like I had become a burden to him, but thankfully we won and it ended up as just a hapening."

The men's sabre national team successfully completed an international multisport event with Oh Sang-uk, who is soon turning 30, taking on the role of the eldest hyung for the first time. Three athletes in their twenties united to signal the start of a new generation, raising bright prospects for the Los Angeles Olympics.

Oh said, "Even when I was with the older hyungs in the past, I was always the last runner for the team event, so it doesn't feel all that different. But I miss (Kim) Jung-hwan hyung, who used to give us a lot of feedback from behind, (Gu) Bon-gil hyung, who would look glum from behind when we didn't fence well, and the level-headed (Kim) Jun-ho hyung."

Oh had built a long-standing chemistry with his "older brothers" Kim Jung-hwan, Gu Bon-gil, and Kim Jun-ho, sharing numerous gold medals including at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023.

By securing two gold medals at this tournament, Oh moved just one short of Gu Bon-gil's record for the most gold medals won by a South Korean athlete at the Asian Games (6). Regarding the possibility of challenging for a "seventh gold medal" four years from now, he stated, "I suppose I'll have to think about that when the time comes."

Emphasizing that "our homework now is to grow further and win by a larger margin next time," Oh repeatedly expressed his relief, adding, "Matches continue, including the National Sports Festival next month, but I'm just glad this one is over."

Do Kyung-dong shared, "After the individual event [where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals], my mental and physical state were not good at all, so I asked Sang-uk hyung for advice. He shared a room with me and took great care of me. Because he gave me such good words, I was able to find the strength today."

Park Sang-won, who played a role in narrowing the gap in the middle, said, "It was not an easy journey, but it's thrilling. I will keep my passion alive and steady so we can go all the way to the LA Olympics."

Meanwhile, the youngest member Hwang Hee-keun, who achieved early discharge from the Armed Forces Athletic Corps as a private first class (4th month), smiled and said, "I want to achieve a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal with the hyungs, and I want to become a senior who can do the same for our future juniors."

(Photo: Yonhap News)