Oh and Kharlan edge dramatic Finals to win gold at FIE Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul

Oh delighted his home supporters by winning the men’s individual competition whilst Kharlan was on top form to take out the women’s individual tournament.

The event was held at the SK Handball Gym in Seoul’s Olympic Park and brought together 315 men’s and women’s sabre fencers for the sixth of the International Fencing Federation’s (FIE) nine-event international series of Grand Prix competitions.

The men’s individual event saw a fascinating and dramatic finale between Oh, ranked second in the world, and Hungary’s two-time Olympic gold medallist, Aron Szilagyi. And it was Oh in front of his home fans who took the title by the narrowest of margins, winning the final match by a single touch, 15-14.

Earlier in the competition Oh had eliminated compatriot Bongil Gu in the quarter-finals 15-7 before comprehensively beating Germany’s Max Hartung in the semi-finals, 15-2.

Szilagyi reached the final courtesy of a 15-12 success over Italy’s Luca Curatoli in the quarter-finals before beating Korea’s reigning world champion Junghwan Kim in the semi-final, 15-13; this after Kim had overcame USA’s number-one ranked Eli Dershwitz in the quarter-finals, 15-11.

The women’s individual event saw an equally exciting conclusion as three-time world champion Kharlan edged out Korea’s Olympic gold medallist, Jiyeon Kim.

In what was another enthralling Final, Kharlan denied Kim the chance to make it a double gold weekend for the hosts by taking the match by one point, 15-14.

Kharlan had earlier beaten Hungary’s Liza Pusztai 15-8 in the quarter-finals, ahead of accounting for France’s Manon Brunet in the semi-finals, 15-12. Kim defeated her teammate, Jiyeon Seo, in the semi-final, 15-10, having beaten France’s Caroline Queroli 15-13 in the last eight.

A trio of the fancied Russian fencers all fell before the semi-final stages. Two-time world champion Sofya Velikaya went out in the quarter-finals to Brunet, 15-12; Olympic gold medallist Yana Egorian was defeated in the round of 16 stage by Queroli 15-14, whilst reigning world champion Sofia Pozdniakova went out in the same round to Pusztai, 15-11.