(Asiad) Fencer Oh Sang-uk fully confident of victory at last thrust

TOKONAME, Japan, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- In the men's sabre team final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, South Korea was three points behind Japan, with one more point needed by Japan to win the gold medal.

With the title hanging by a thread, Oh stayed cool-headed, and analyzed his opponent's patterns and strategies based on the points he had given up.

"I tried to remain more composed and tried to focus on the duel, while continuing to think about the data from the points that I had lost and about moments when I should've done (better)," Oh said during a mixed-zone interview.

He then scored three straight points to level the score at 44-44 against Mao Kokubo of Japan. On the final attack, the two fencers dashed toward each other and thrust at the same time, with the lights going up for both teams.

Members of both teams cheered and jumped in celebration, waiting for the final point to be decided.

In team fencing, a team scoring 45 points first or having more points than the opponent at the end of the ninth bout wins the event.

Oh, however, was confident that his thrust was faster. The referee raised a hand for the South Korean team, confirming the victory.

"Right after I made it, I was 100 percent sure we won," he said. "I predicted that the Japanese player would do that move, so I was confident that mine was faster."

Before taking to the piste for the final ninth bout, Oh told his teammates -- Do Gyeong-dong, Park Sang-won and Hwang Hee-geun -- not to worry and to trust him.

"We thought we were just one team and we can do what we can do for each other," said Do, who allowed Japan to take the lead in the seventh bout. "Sang-uk said, 'I'll do it and never mind.'"

Do said Oh reminded him of the final at the Paris Olympics, where Do played a decisive role in helping South Korea win its third consecutive Olympic title against Hungary.

"I first thought I put too much pressure on him, but it didn't matter. Sang-uk said as a team, this always repeats," Do said. "I think I have to learn more and from the beginning."

With the dramatic gold medal now behind them, the fencers are shifting their focus to the future, especially the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I will keep working and stay focused to get a ticket to the LA Olympics," Park Sang-won said.