CHIBA, Japan-- South Korean fencer Kim Jung-hwan took the bronze medal in the men's individual sabre at the Tokyo Olympics Saturday, becoming the first fencer from the country to win a medal in three straight Olympic Games.

Kim defeated Sandro Bazadze of Georgia 15-11 in the bronze medal contest at Makuhari Messe Hall B in Chiba, east of Tokyo, earning South Korea's first medal in fencing here.

The victory was also a measure of revenge for the South Korean team, as Bazadze knocked off South Korean Oh Sang-uk in the quarterfinals.

It is Kim's second Olympic bronze in the discipline, following the one at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He was also a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2012 London Games.

Earlier in the day, Kim lost to Italy's Luigi Samele 15-12 in the semifinals. The South Korean fencer gained a 12-6 lead in the second quarter but lost nine straight points as Samele advanced to the finals.

Kim, 37, remains the only South Korean man with an individual sabre Olympic medal.

At No. 15, Kim was the lowest-ranked South Korean man in the sabre competition Saturday. But Oh, world No. 1, was upset by Bazadze in the quarters. The ninth-ranked Gu Bon-gil didn't even get that far, losing in the round of 32 to Matyas Szabo of Germany.

Bazadze took a 5-2 lead over Kim early on but the South Korean battled back to make it a 6-6 bout.

The two traded points until Bazadze jumped out to a 10-7 lead. Kim then reeled off four straight points.

Bazadze tied things up at 11-11 but never scored again, as Kim got four points in succession to clinch his third Olympic medal.

Source: Yonhap News Agency