South Korea's top fencing star Oh Sang-uk reclaimed the Asian Championships individual title Friday after a two-year absence — competing with borrowed equipment after a protest blocked access to the national federation's offices.
Oh defeated Luo Xiaotong of China 15-8 in the men's sabre individual final at the 2026 Asian Fencing Championships in New Delhi, India, on Friday. It was his first Asian Championships individual gold since 2024.
The Korean fencing team faced an unusual ordeal heading into the competition. The Korea Fencing Federation's offices, located at the handball gymnasium inside Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, were blockaded by protests sparked by a ballot shortage during the local elections, paralyzing operations. Unable to retrieve their personal equipment, including their sabers, Oh and his teammates had to borrow gear from their respective club teams before departing for the tournament.
Oh swept through the bracket without dropping a match. He beat Karan Singh of India 15-11 in the round of 32, then defeated Islambek Abdazov of Uzbekistan 15-6 in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals he edged Gokubo Mao of Japan 15-12, before beating Do Gyeong-dong of Daegu — last year's individual champion at this event — 15-9 in the semifinals. Do took the bronze medal, earning an Asian Championships individual medal in two consecutive years.
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