South Korea’s Olympic gold medal-winning fencing team has surpassed host nation France.
The men’s sabre team of Oh Sang-wook (Daejeon City Hall), Koo Bon-gil (Korea Sports Promotion Organization), Park Sang-won (Daejeon City Hall), and Do Kyung-dong (Armed Forces Athletic Corps) defeated France in the semifinals of the men’s sabre team event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on Wednesday (Aug. 31).
Men’s sabre is a guaranteed gold medal favorite at the Olympics. They won gold at both London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. They’ve been on a roll, earning the nickname “The Avengers” for their top-notch performances.
Ahead of the Games, Sabre’s squad has changed. Kim Jung-hwan and Kim Jun-ho, two of the original members of the Avengers, announced their retirement from the national team, creating a natural generation change. Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong have taken their places, and there have been some concerns.
However, with the world’s best fencer Oh Sang-wook and the experienced Koo Bon-gil leading the way, the New Avengers showed their strength at the World Cup in Tbilisi in February and the World Cup in Padua in March. With the Olympics just around the corner, the team has shown some flashes of brilliance, but once the Games begin, they will be in full force.
The team had previously faced Canada in the quarterfinals and found themselves down 8-10 after two rounds. With the ability to turn anyone into an ace, Korea turned the tide in the third game, 15-11, with Park Sang-won starting. Oh Sang-wook then rattled off point after point in the fifth to take an early 25-19 lead.
Back on the piste, Park Sang-won sealed the deal in the sixth round, 30-21, before Koo Bon-gil scored the final 35 points to advance to the semifinals.
The final was a tough one for the home team, France, who were backed by a packed Grand Palais, and with their fans behind them, the French easily overcame Egypt. France is ranked No. 4 in the world, so Korea was not going to take them lightly.
But the New Avengers, led by sabre individual gold medalist Oh Sang-wook, were fast and strong. The presence of Oh Sang-wook, who dominated the individual competition, was crucial.
South Korea, with Park Sang-won as the first runner, fell behind 2-5 in the first round. Just as the momentum could have slipped 토토사이트 순위 away, Oh picked up the slack and took on Maxime Pianfetti for a dominant 8-2 result. The Koreans quickly took a 10-7 lead.
After taking over the lead, veteran Koo Bon-gil had a more complete game. He closed the third round with a perfect 5-0 run to extend his total score to 15-7. With a double score already in the bag after one round, Park Sang-won stepped up his game. His 5-2 run in the fourth period helped South Korea extend their lead.
France traded points with Koo Bon-gil in the fifth, but Oh Sang-wook’s presence in the sixth was significant. Oh took the sixth period on another 5-1 run, holding France to 14 points and taking the 30-point lead for the first time.
Despite the margin, France’s final resistance was significant. Bollard Affiti quickly closed the gap with a 10-point win over Park at 8-bout. Park Sang-won struggled, but he calmly reached 39 points and didn’t allow the French to catch up anymore, handing the piste to Oh Sang-wook for the final time at 40-30.
As expected, the final point belonged to Ace. With a 10-point lead and only five more points to play for, it could have been a straightforward affair, but Sebastian Patrice had a lot to prove. Oh Sang-wook couldn’t ease the tension as he conceded the first three points.
Unexpectedly, it was a close one. The gap narrowed to nine points, which was unexpectedly close. However, Oh didn’t falter and managed to sneak through the 45th point to reach the final for his third consecutive Olympic title.