JINCHEON, South Korea, June 28 (Yonhap) — Being world No. 1 in his event, and the status as the Olympic gold medal favorite that comes with it, doesn’t bother South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk one bit.
“Instead of feeling any pressure, I am feeling quite confident,” Oh told reporters at the national team media day on Monday at the Jincheon National Training Center, 90 kilometers south of Seoul. The open house event was held with the Tokyo Olympics 25 days away.
Oh is the world’s top-ranked male sabre fencer. South Korea is also No. 1 in the men’s team sabre rankings. Oh could become the first South Korean to win an Olympic gold in individual sabre, while the team will try to pick up its second gold after capturing the surprising title at London 2012.
A bout with COVID-19 nearly derailed Oh’s bid for history. He tested positive for the virus in March after returning from a competition in Hungary. He was sidelined for about a month and returned to the national training facility at the end of April.
“I was on a roll before the infection, and now I am at about 70 percent,” Oh said of his current form. “The guys on the team have been talking about how we should try to stay healthy before this important event.”
The men’s sabre individual event is scheduled for July 24, one day after the opening ceremony. It could be a “Super Saturday” for South Korea, as the country will have other medal contenders competing in archery and taekwondo. South Korea has set sights on winning six to seven gold medals in Tokyo, and as many as four could come on July 24 alone.
As for getting thrown into the fire so early in the Olympics, Oh said, “It’s better than having to stay in Japan for a long time, given the COVID-19 situation there.”
Right behind Oh in the world rankings is Eli Dershwitz of the United States. Oh said he’s also wary of fencers from Hungary, Russia and Germany.
“They may have quick hands, but we Korean fencers have great footwork,” Oh said. “We’re going to show the excellence of our style of fencing to the rest of the world.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency