Korean fencing men's sabre wins World Cup team event

The Korean men's sabre fencing team clinched the top spot at the FIE Sabre World Cup in Oran, Algeria, on Sunday (local time), even without the presence of world No. 1 Oh Sang-wook and No. 22 Koo Bon-gil, who had led the team to three consecutive victories in the team event at the Paris Olympics.

The team, comprised of Park Sang-won, Lim Jae-yoon, Do Kyung-dong, and Ha Han-sol, triumphed over Iran 45-35 in the final to win the gold medal. Oh and Koo, both two-time Olympic champions, could not participate due to injury treatment.

Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong, who had won gold with Oh and Koo in Paris, rallied the team by saying, “We will overcome this too without our brothers,” and led the squad to victory in the first World Cup of the 2024-2025 season. Park, who earned his first international individual medal (bronze) earlier in the competition, added a gold in the team event, becoming the first player to win two medals in a single World Cup. “I was confident that if we trusted each other with the new members, we would achieve good results. Our team’s strength is our trust in each other and our commitment to doing our best in individual performances,” Park said. “Winning a medal in the team event with my teammates is more valuable than any individual medal.”

Do Kyung-dong, who had played a crucial role as the final fencer in the team event at the Paris Olympics, stepped up once again in Algeria, offering encouragement to his teammates. He had famously given direct advice to the older team members at the Paris Games and now motivated Park Sang-won by saying, “We just have to keep our spirits up.”


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com