South Korea's two famed fencers of Gu Bon-gil and Oh Sang-uk competed for the gold medal in the men's individual sabre at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Monday.

It was a repeat of the final duel at the 2018 Jakarta Asiad, when Gu won the title, outpacing then-21-year-old compatriot Oh. Gu became the first fencer to win the Asian Games individual gold for three tournaments in a row.

But five years later, the result was the opposite. This time the winner was Oh, not Gu, whose historic challenge to win a fourth consecutive gold was put to an end.

"I don't regret the loss because I know it is difficult to win a fourth consecutive title," he told reporters in a mixed-zone interview. "It's an honor to compete for a fourth gold medal. I think this silver is more precious than the gold in Jakarta."

In Jakarta, his heart felt heavy despite the victory because the silver medalist was desperate for a gold to get a lawful military exemption, Gu recalled.

All able-bodied South Korean men are required to complete nearly two years of military service, but sports people with outstanding achievements in sports competitions, including an Asiad gold, are eligible to get an exemption.

"I felt uncomfortable even though I won the final because of Oh's military issue," he said. "But today, this silver delighted me far more than the gold five years before."

The 34-year-old veteran athlete said he also felt relief with Oh's gold-medal performance, which would continue to the upcoming Paris Olympics. Gu and Oh are key players in South Korea's team sabre squad, which earned an historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

"Oh returned from an injury and I think now he has recovered to his best condition. He will compete well in Paris," he said. "Our team is still strong and competitive enough to get another Olympic gold."

At the same time, he did not hide his desire for his seventh career Asian Games gold medal, more than any other South Korean athlete. He has collected five gold medals at the Asiad.

If he wins the upcoming men's team sabre slated for Thursday, he will have a total of six gold medals under his belt, tying swimmer Park Tae-hwan, fencer Nam Hyun-hee and bowler Ryu Seo-yeon.

Then, his seventh gold medal would come from the next 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan in 2026.

"If we win gold in the team event, I want to go to Nagoya," he said. "In Nagoya, I will not look for a medal in the individual event, but I want to win gold in the team event to write history."

Source: Yonhap News Agency