▲ Oh Sang-uk of South Korea (R) looks at a referee during his men's individual sabre quarterfinals match against Sandro Bazadze of Georgia at the Tokyo Olympics at Makuhari Messe Hall B in Chiba, Japan, on July 24, 2021. (Yonhap)
▲ Lee Dong-jun of South Korea (R) battles Virgil Ghita of Romania for the ball during the teams' Group B match at the Tokyo Olympic men's football tournament at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium in Kashima, Japan, on July 25, 2021. (Yonhap)

(Olympics) S Korean events-Day 5

(Olympics) Top-ranked fencer to seek redemption in team event

By Yoo Jee-ho

TOKYO, July 26 (Yonhap) -- Oh Sang-uk, world No. 1 in men's sabre fencing, never came close to a medal in the individual event of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.

After falling in the quarterfinals over the weekend, Oh will have a chance at redemption Wednesday when he and three teammates compete in the men's team event at Makuhari Messe Hall B in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

Oh, Gu Bon-gil, Kim Jung-hwan and Kim Jun-ho will try to bring South Korea its second gold medal in the men's team sabre in three Olympics. Gu and Kim Jung-hwan were members of the 2012 gold medal-winning squad in London.

Kim won the individual bronze medal Saturday, and the team event could be the Olympic swan song for the 37-year-old.

Also on Wednesday, South Korea will look to clinch a knockout spot in men's football against Honduras. Their final Group B match will kick off at 5:30 p.m. at International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

Following a 4-0 win over Romania on Sunday, South Korea is at the top of Group B. All four teams -- South Korea, Honduras, Romania and New Zealand -- have three points apiece, but South Korea owns the best goal difference with plus-3.

A draw will suffice for South Korea, but head coach Kim Hak-bum said he'd rather not take any back doors into the quarterfinals, and his players will try to win the group finale.

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]