For fencer Oh Sang-uk, who defended his title in the men's individual sabre Wednesday, this year's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games provided a different experience from his two previous appearances.
He collected the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games and the gold at the 2023 edition.
In both final bouts, he fought with legendary Korean fencer Gu Bon-gil, who had won the individual title at three straight Asian Games since 2010.
Here in Japan, Oh faced a Chinese fencer in the final, his first non-Korean opponent in an Asian Games final.
"I took on a Korean fencer in the final at the two previous competitions," Oh said after the match. "This time, I beat a player from another country. It was new to me."
In the final at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, some 35 kilometers south of the main host city of Nagoya, Oh defeated Shen Chenpeng of China 15-13 despite an ankle injury caused by a collision with Shen right after the bout began.
As the reigning Olympic champion, Oh was expected to win the final comfortably, as he had done in the semifinals and quarterfinals. But he held only brief leads and even lost four straight points after leading 8-7 in the second period.
However, he did not lose his focus until the last minute and became the second South Korean sabre fencer to win the Asian Games individual title for at least two times in a row.
Oh said he felt Asia's fencing has been improving faster than expected and that he could not take success on the Asian stage for granted.
"Here are players from China, Iran and Kazakhstan. I could feel Asia is getting stronger," Oh said during an official press conference, referring to Wednesday's medalists.
"I'm fortunate to defend my Asian Games title today. I think it will be more difficult later."
As a result, he will now turn his attention to the team event, scheduled for Saturday, where he will help his country collect the fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal.
"I'm proud of my individual gold, but I'll be really proud if I win the team gold," he said. "I haven't thought of not winning the gold with my teammates." (Yonhap)
