Korea's men's sabre team poses with the national flag after beating Japan in the team final at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 26. YONHAPKorea's men's sabre fencers won a fourth straight Asian Games team title.
Anchor Oh Sang-uk scored the last four touches as Korea came from behind to beat host Japan 45-44 on Saturday at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Oh's teammates were Park Sang-won, Do Gyeong-dong and Hwang Hee-geun. The title follows wins at the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The squad, nicknamed the Avengers of fencing for its place at the top of the sport, did it with a new generation. Gu Bon-gil, the longtime veteran who won the 2024 Paris Olympic team gold alongside Oh, Park and Do, has left the team, and Hwang, aged 23, has joined in his place.
Oh, now the oldest member of the team, turns 30 on Wednesday and competed at his first major multisport event as the team's oldest member. Do is 27 and Park is 26.
Korea controlled most of the final. Park and Oh each won their opening bouts 5-3 for a 10-6 lead, and world No. 2 Do stretched it to 15-8 in the third. Japan closed to 20-16 after Park's second bout, and Do and Oh each fenced Japan to 5-5 in the fifth and sixth bouts to hold the gap.
Oh Sang-uk, Park Sang-won, Do Gyeong-dong and Hwang Hee-geun walk out for the men's team sabre semifinal against Hong Kong at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 26. NEWS1Japan took over in the seventh. Do conceded nine touches while scoring two, and Korea fell behind 35-32. Park answered with seven touches in the eighth to cut Japan's lead to 40-39.
Oh fenced the anchor leg and fell behind 44-41, one touch from defeat. He then took four touches in a row and landed the winner at 44-44.
At 1.92 meters (6 feet 4 inches), Oh combines height and reach with strength, flexibility and speed. He struggled with a back injury in the run-up to the Games.
Oh Sang-uk raises his fist as he closes the gap against Japan's Mao Kokubo in the men's team sabre final at the Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 26. NEWS1Oh won the individual title last Wednesday and is now a double gold medalist at a second straight Asian Games after Hangzhou. The team gold is his fifth career Asian Games gold, one behind Gu's six, the most by any Korean athlete.
Team events are seeded by each country's results in the individual competition. Top-seeded Korea received a bye through the round of 16 and beat India 45-25 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals against Hong Kong, Park beat Hugo Ho 5-2 in the opening bout. Oh stretched the lead to 10-5 against Aaron Ho, and Do made it 15-9 against Royce Chan on the way to a 45-24 win.
Park Sang-won reacts during his bout against Japan's Kento Yoshida in the men's team sabre final at the Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 26. REUTERS/YONHAPKorea's men's sabre fencers have led a golden era for the country's fencing. Korea won the Olympic team title at London in 2012, Tokyo in 2020 and Paris in 2024. The event was not held at the 2016 Rio Games. Saturday's win bodes well for a fourth straight Olympic title at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.