By Hana Al Dayyat, OCA Young Reporter from Jordan
Nagoya, Japan, September 26, 2026: Korea clinched their fourth consecutive Asian Games title in the men’s sabre team event on Saturday, pulling off a dramatic 45-44 comeback victory over hosts Japan at the Aichi Sky Expo.
The gold medal clash came down to a single touch. With Japan leading 44-41 in the final ninth relay and sitting just one point away from the title, individual gold medalist Oh Sanguk scored four unanswered touches against Mao Kokubo to seal gold for Korea 45-44 and leave Japan with the silver medal.
To reach the final, Japan had eliminated Kazakhstan in the semi-finals with a 45-34 victory, while Korea dispatched Hong Kong, China 45-24 to set up the gold medal showdown.
The semi-final finish secured the bronze medal for Kazakhstan, handing Artyom Sarkissyan his second bronze of the Games following his podium result in the individual competition. Despite the defeat, Sarkissyan took pride in the result while noting what could have been.
"We are definitely happy with our performance, but we still think that we could have beaten the Japanese team if we fenced at the beginning of the match the way we fenced in the middle and in the final bouts," Sarkissyan said.
"But we are happy with the bronze medal. We’ll work harder to win the gold medal next time."