Kim Jung-hwan (40), Koo Bon-gil (34, National Sports Promotion Agency), Kim Jun-ho (29, Hwaseong City Hall), and Oh Sang-wook (27, Daejeon City Hall), who are gold medalists in the men’s saber team event at the Tokyo Olympics, will hold the Olympics in Songpa-gu, Seoul from the 27th to the 29th. The 2023 International Fencing Federation (FIE) SK Telecom Grand Prix Saber Championship will be held at SK Handball Stadium in the park.
The competition is part of the Grand Prix series, where ranking points are given for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and 320 players from 40 countries will participate. After being unable to open for the past three years due to the aftermath of Corona 19, it will resume in Seoul this year after four years. A total of 40 players, 20 men and 20 men, will participate in the host country Korea.
In the men’s division, the ‘Avengers’ members are by far the most popular. In particular, Gu Bon-gil, who won the bronze medal in the individual event at the World Cup in Budapest, Hungary in March, is considered one of the strongest candidates for the championship. Koo Bon-gil is ranked 4th in the world rankings, the highest among Korean players.
The performance of Kim Jung-hwan, the ‘eternal eldest brother’ in men’s saber, and Oh Sang-wook, the ‘youngest ace’ who recovered from an ankle injury, are also expected. Next-generation aces such as Ha Han-sol (Seongnam City Hall), Do Gyeong-dong (Daegu Metropolitan City Hall), and Seong Hyeon-mo (Seongnam City Hall), who are considered successors to the ‘Avengers’, also challenge their individual best scores at home fest. 안전놀이터
Of course, competitors from other countries are also formidable. World-class fencers such as Aaron Silage (Hungary), who won the men’s individual saber event at the Olympic Games three times in a row, Sandro Balzaze (Georgia), who is currently ranked No. 1, and Bollard Afiti (France), who is No.
In the women’s division, national veterans Yoon Ji-soo (30, Seoul City Hall) and Seo Ji-yeon (30, Ansan City Hall), who won the bronze medal in the team event at the Tokyo Olympics, stand at the forefront. Choi Se-bin (23, Jeonnam Provincial Office), Jeon Eun-hye (26, Incheon Jung-gu Office), Lee Han-ah (20, Hankuk University), and Yoon So-yeon (25, Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall), who reached the top of the Sintniklas World Cup team match in Belgium in March, also Another rebellion is being prepared.
The men’s preliminaries and the women’s preliminaries will be held on the 27th, and the men’s and women’s quarterfinals will begin on the morning of the 29th. The semi-finals and finals will be broadcast live on tvN Sports from 6 pm on the same day.