Korea’s ‘New Avengers’ Dream New Dream of ‘10 Consecutive Gold Medal’

The Korean national men\'s sabre team is holding up three fingers that represent \

Won Woo-young, coach of the Korean men‘s sabre team, used the word “proved” several times after the team clinched gold in the men’s sabre team final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games against Hungary at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on July 1. When it comes to the word “proved,” Coach Won said, “In fact, there were a lot of predictions that the Korean men‘s sabre team would not win the gold medal in Paris.” “There were also many fencers who predicted that we would not win any medals. The gold medal proved that we were not wrong,” he said with emotion.

In the men’s sabre, the absence of Tokyo 2020 team gold medalists Kim Jung-hwan and Kim Jun-ho was filled by “rookies” Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong. They suffered a lot of trial and error in the process. “After the big change in the national team, we lost a lot of confidence as we were beaten many times in international competitions,” said the ace player, Oh Sang-wook, who shared his thoughts on the transition. It took a while for the team to find its footing, but pillars Koo Bon-gil and Oh Sang-wook remained strong, while Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong revitalized the team with youthful energy.

In the end, Korea has made history by seizing its third consecutive Olympic gold medal, led by the dazzling performances of their newest members, Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong. In the seventh round of the final, when South Korea held a narrow lead of 30 to 29, Do Kyung-dong came in as a ”replacement member” and made 5 consecutive points in just 28 seconds to win the game. “The London and Tokyo teams were good, but I think this team was the best,” said Koo Bon-gil, who has competed in all of the competitions where the men‘s sabre team won the gold medal.

It took a lot of hard work for Korea to win its third consecutive Olympic team title in sabre. In a sport that is heavily influenced by referees, the relationship with them was also important. “It was very difficult to fight with the referees,” Won said, “so we approached them first and said hello to maintain a good relationship.” This is why Koo Bon-gil was so polite to the referees at this game. Korea maximized the strengths of steps and improved hand movements to perfect the technique.

The close bond between the athletes is also a big strength. “With no seniority and hierarchy among us, we communicate with each other a lot,” said Do Kyung-dong. One of the biggest rewards was the discovery of Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong, who will play key roles at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Besides Park Sang-won and Do Kyung-dong, there are many young and talented men‘s sabre players in Korea, so there will be many ’new faces‘ in the future,” Won said. After finishing all the schedules in Paris, the next goal for the men’s sabre team was naturally set to win a fourth consecutive team title.

However, Coach Won has bigger ambitions than that. He wants to become like the women‘s archery team that won 10 consecutive team titles at the Paris Olympics. “We want to become the first Korean men’s sabre team to win 10 consecutive team titles like the women‘s archery team,” he said, adding, “We will work together as one, from the athletes to the coaches and the staff, to fulfill that dream.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.