Oh Sang-uk

Oh Sang-uk was born on September 30, 1996, in Daejeon, South Korea. He first engaged with fencing during primary school and began competing seriously in 2009 while attending Maebong Middle School in Daejeon. His older brother initially inspired him to try the sport. Despite initial reservations from his parents, coach Park Jong-Han recognized Oh’s potential and convinced them to support his athletic pursuits. Oh’s early career demonstrated his talent, becoming a standout in junior and cadet categories. He later attended Daejeon University on a scholarship, furthering his commitment to the sport.

Oh’s professional fencing career commenced in 2015 with his international debut at a World Cup event in Padua, Italy. This marked the beginning of a significant ascent in the sport. A notable early achievement was defeating world number 1, Gu Bon-gil, in the 2015 National Championships, a rare accomplishment for a fencer of his age. In 2016, Oh secured his first major international gold medal at the Asian Championships, competing as part of the men’s sabre team. He continued to build on this success, earning back-to-back gold medals at the World Championships and Asian Championships in team events in both 2017 and 2018. The 2018 Asian Games saw him achieve a silver medal in the individual event and a gold medal in the team event, which granted him exemption from mandatory military service.

Over the subsequent years, Oh Sang-uk consistently performed at a high level. In 2019, he secured four gold medals, winning both individual and team events at the World Championships and Asian Championships. He went on to achieve significant milestones at the Olympic Games, securing a team Olympic championship in 2020 (held in 2021) and both individual and team Olympic championships in 2024. His career includes numerous World Cup and Grand Prix titles, with 5 Grand Prix gold medals and 5 World Cup gold medals in individual sabre events. He has been recognized with multiple awards, including Athlete of the Year at the 2019 Korea Sports Awards and the 69th Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) Sports Awards in 2023.