First Grand Slam for Korean Athlete at Paris Olympics “Every fencing club is crowded with promising young athletes, so happy” Starting today, national team selections for men and women’s championships “Goal of 4 consecutive team championships and 2 consecutive individual championships in LA”
“There are so many kids who are starting to fencing. When I go to a fencing club, there are a lot of people who say, ‘I came from the Olympics.’ I feel the best when I hear things like that.”
Oh Sang - wook (right) takes a commemorative photo with a fan after signing an autograph for a fan who visited the autograph session for SKT employees held at SKT Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 16th.
The smile never left the face of Oh Sang-wook (28), a two-time fencing champion at the Paris Olympics. Oh Sang-wook met many “fencing hopefuls” who said they were the happiest at the autograph signing event for SKT employees held at SKT Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 16th. The event was organized by SKT, the sponsor of the national fencing team. Kim In-cheol (42), an employee of the company, said, “Today is actually a vacation, but I came (to work). It’s because my son started fencing.” Kim’s second-grade son, Rawon, who recently won a bronze medal at a regional competition, brought his fencing uniform and sword. The event host said, “We’re pressed for time, so let’s get autographs in only one place,” but Oh Sang-wook diligently signed both Rawon’s uniform and sword.
Oh Sang-wook won the gold medal in the men’s sabre individual fencing event at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Korean fencing player to achieve an individual Grand Slam (winning the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Championships). In the sabre team event, where he competed with Koo Bon-gil (35), Do Kyung-dong (25), and Park Sang-won (24), he became the first Asian country to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals. Oh Sang-wook welcomed the fact that the Korean fencing team's achievements (two gold medals, one silver medal) at the Paris Olympics will lead to the expansion of the base of fencing.
Oh Sang-wook arrived 1 hour and 30 minutes before the main event began. He signed autographs for those who could not attend the event because they were not among the first 100 people. Oh Sang-wook signed autographs and gave interviews without stopping until the main event began. Even when he was told that his arms would hurt, he said, “This is just a warm-up,” and continued signing autographs.
Oh Sang-wook, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Paris, will also see a fencing gym named after him in his hometown of Daejeon. Daejeon City Hall promised to build a fencing gym named after him if Oh Sang-wook wins two Olympic gold medals. Daejeon City Hall is also the team that Oh Sang-wook plays for. Oh Sang-wook said, “After the National Sports Festival last year, Daejeon City said they would build a gym if I won two gold medals (at the Olympics),” and “But honestly, I thought winning two gold medals was impossible.”
Oh Sang-wook had not been able to achieve any notable results in international competitions last year due to ankle and wrist injuries. He said, “When the idea of building a gym came up, I wasn’t in great shape. So I thought it would be difficult if they built it, although I would be grateful if they did.” “After I won the gold medal (at the Olympics), I learned about the (individual) Grand Slam and that a gym was being built. So the medal had more meaning.”
On the 8th, Oh Sang-wook said at an event hosted by Daejeon City Hall, “Daejeon is the home where I have lived, and it is an honor to be able to make my name known in such a place. I will become an Oh Sang-wook who surpasses (Daejeon’s famous bakery) Seongsimdang.” At the autograph session on the 16th, when asked, “Haven’t you already surpassed Seongsimdang?” he laughed and said, “I can’t beat Seongsimdang. It’s such a long tradition.” Oh Sang-wook said, “I hope many people who want to learn fencing for the first time come to my club.” His older brother, who is two years older than him and a former fencer, is preparing to open a fencing club. His older brother, who had to put down his sword due to an injury while playing, advised Oh Sang-wook, who was struggling with injury trauma last year, “If you avoid getting hurt because you are afraid, you won’t be able to play as an athlete. You have no choice but to confront and overcome it.” Oh Sang-wook said, “My older brother is the person who knows me best, so he gave me a lot of sincere advice. He said, “He helped me a lot as a colleague rather than as an older brother, so I thought of him a lot (after winning the gold medal).” Oh Sang-wook dreams of winning two consecutive individual gold medals and four consecutive team gold medals at the Los Angeles (LA) Olympics in four years. Oh Sang-wook said, “LA (the Olympics) is still far away, but I will work hard to win a medal there as well.” The President’s Cup National Men’s and Women’s Championships will be held in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do, starting on the 17th. It is a competition that also serves as a national team selection tournament. Oh Sang-wook will participate in this competition to protect the Taegeuk mark for the 2024-2025 season international competitions starting in November. Fencing selects national representatives by adding up the scores from four domestic competitions (open by event, President’s Cup, national team selection tournament, Kim Chang-hwan Cup) a year and awarding ranking points. 안전놀이터