South Korean fencer Oh Sanguk fought against one of the greatest of all time to win his second gold medal at the Paris Olympics in men’s team saber on Wednesday.
Oh, who is known as “Monster” by his fans, secured a 45-41 victory for South Korea against Hungary and Aron Szilagyi, who is the only fencer to win three Olympic gold medals in a men’s individual fencing event.
“I was so happy that I had tears in my eyes. I was so overwhelmed by the emotions,” Oh said.
In the final of the team event, Oh and Szilagyi were the last two fencers to compete, with Hungary trailing 40-33 and South Korea needing just five more points to win.
Szilagyi needed a remarkable comeback to secure gold, but scoring eight points to Oh’s five wasn’t enough, as South Korea won the team gold for the second Olympics in a row.
South Korea also won in 2012; men’s team saber was not included in the 2016 Games.
When Oh scored the final point needed for the win, he celebrated by striking a pose with his saber, pointing towards teammates Park Sangwon, Gu Bongil, and Do Gyeongdong. Do, who was an alternate, was substituted in during the final and helped South Korea move closer to victory with five unanswered points.
The silver medal was Szilagyi’s fifth Olympic medal and an improvement on the team bronze he won with Hungary in Tokyo in 2021.
“I’m sure that tomorrow or next week I’ll be perfectly happy and satisfied with this silver medal. I’m very proud of my team, we really gave everything,” said the 34-year-old Szilagyi, who will decide later about competing in his sixth Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Oh now has three Olympic medals—one in the individual event and two with the team, all of them gold.
