Goo Bong-gil and Kim Jun-ho Win Gold in Men's Sabre Team Event
Fencing Sabre 'National Team' Breeding Ground Achieves Olympic Back-to-Back Victory
Kim Jun-ho (left) and Koo Bon-gil, who won the gold medal in sabre fencing at the Tokyo Olympics. Both athletes are alumni of Dong-Eui University. [Image source=Dong-Eui University]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] If the triumphant cheers of archery at the Tokyo Olympics came from ‘Yecheon,’ Dong-Eui University is enjoying the joy of a ‘jackpot’ with fencing gold medals.
Two athletes from Dong-Eui University’s fencing team, Koo Bon-gil (Department of Physical Education, Class of ’08, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation) and Kim Jun-ho (Department of Physical Education, Class of ’13, Hwaseong City Hall), won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Among the eight male and female sabre fencers representing the national team, as many as four are alumni of Dong-Eui University. The university has earned a reputation as a cradle for producing national fencing representatives.
The South Korean men’s sabre fencing team, composed of Koo Bon-gil, Kim Jun-ho, Kim Jung-hwan (Korea Sports Promotion Foundation), and Oh Sang-wook (Seongnam City Hall), showcased their dominance by defeating Italy 45-26 in the men’s sabre team final held on the 28th at Makuhari Messe Hall B in Japan during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Following their victory in this event at the 2012 London Olympics, and considering that the men’s sabre team event was not held at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics due to the rotation hosting principle, they have effectively achieved back-to-back championships over nine years.
At the 2012 London Olympics, the team including Dong-Eui University alumni Oh Eun-seok (Department of Leisure Sports, Class of ’02), Koo Bon-gil, Kim Jung-hwan, and Won Woo-young won South Korea’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in a fencing team event.
Koo Bon-gil, who participated as the youngest member of the team at that time, has now become a veteran ‘swordsman.’
As a veteran representative combining skill and experience, he participated in this tournament and showed his ace qualities in the fiercely contested semifinal against Germany.
In the semifinals, Koo Bon-gil, trailing 11-15 in the 4th round, scored 9 points alone to lead the first comeback at 20-18. Although Germany counterattacked to reach 30 points first, Koo Bon-gil again succeeded in a comeback at the 7th round with a 35-33 lead, playing a pivotal role in advancing the team to the finals.
Kim Jun-ho, ranked 20th in the world and a top-tier player, participated in the team event as a substitute due to the presence of stronger teammates. In the final, he replaced the team’s eldest member Kim Jung-hwan, who was physically exhausted, and demonstrated overwhelming performance with a 5-1 score in the 8th round, contributing to the gold medal victory.
Founded in 2001, Dong-Eui University’s sabre fencing team has become the ‘Mecca’ of sabre fencing that led South Korea’s golden era in the sport.
Fencing, originating from France, had long been a European-dominated sport.
Sabre allows both cutting and thrusting attacks, which require high stamina and physical conditions that were challenging for East Asian countries to compete against.
Lee Hyo-geun, a former national team member and founding coach of Dong-Eui University’s fencing team, planted the seeds of sabre fencing in the Busan region by establishing teams at Yangwoon Middle School and Shindo High School.
In 2001, by founding the team at Dong-Eui University, young university athletes blossomed the sabre fencing scene targeting domestic and international competitions.
The player who elevated Dong-Eui University’s sabre fencing to an international level was Oh Eun-seok (Department of Leisure Sports, Class of ’02), the second generation of Dong-Eui University’s fencing team.
Oh Eun-seok, who once reached world No. 1 ranking and introduced Korean sabre fencing to the world, won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics with his juniors. Later, Koo Bon-gil, six years his junior in high school and university, took over the world No. 1 ranking baton.
After Oh Eun-seok’s retirement from the national team, Kim Jun-ho took over the position, and Dong-Eui University consistently held two of the four national team spots.
Dong-Eui University, which founded the women’s sabre team in 2008, counts Choi Soo-yeon (Department of Special Physical Education, Class of ’10) and Yoon Ji-soo (Department of Physical Education, Class of ’11) among the four female national representatives at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The women’s team also accounts for half of the national team.
Dong-Eui University has repeatedly produced national representatives such as Lee Ra-jin, Kim Ha-eun, Choi Soo-yeon, and Yoon Ji-soo, becoming a cradle for fencing national team athletes.
Han Woo-ri, coach at Dong-Eui University, evaluated, “The techniques and tactics that started at Dong-Eui University have been disseminated in the domestic arena, and as those strategies succeeded on the world stage, Korean sabre fencing has risen to an international level.”
A master is nurturing another master’s hand.
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