"I Was Afraid of Colliding" Oh Sang-uk Confesses His Trauma and Overcoming Process

Athlete Oh Sang-uk, who performed brilliantly by winning gold medals in both individual and team fencing events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, spoke about his career and the process of overcoming injuries. Appearing on a recent broadcast program, Oh Sang-uk directly mentioned the pressure he felt at the time of winning the gold medals and the psychological difficulties he experienced due to past injuries.

"I Was Afraid of Colliding"... Training Methods to Fight Injury Trauma

Oh Sang-uk confessed to the psychological crisis he experienced due to past injuries. He defined the year 2023 with a single word, 'trauma,' stating that he had difficulty performing movements at the time due to the fear that the injured area might be hurt again. In particular, he revealed that he felt psychologically intimidated in situations where he collided with opposing athletes. He experienced situations where he could not perform movements because he was afraid of re-injuring the affected area, and he also felt pressure from the thought that he might lose if the situation of colliding with an opponent came to mind.

Oh Sang-uk explained that he chose an intentional training method to overcome this fear. He said, "Since I couldn't be an athlete if I avoided it out of fear of getting hurt, I thought there was no choice but to overcome it by colliding," and noted that he repeatedly practiced intentionally stepping quickly on unstable terrain. He added that through training where he set up obstacles and practiced stepping on them quickly, he used a method to reduce the imagination and anxiety regarding injury situations. Through these efforts, he was able to overcome the trauma and win the gold medal.

The Moment of the Paris Olympics Gold Medal, "The Pressure to Be Perfect"

He also recalled the tense situation during the Olympic finals. Oh Sang-uk mentioned the pressure he felt while being chased in score during the match against a Tunisian athlete. When he allowed the Tunisian athlete to score six consecutive points, allowing the chase to reach 14 to 10, he said, "The pressure to be perfect was immense." He shared that when his confidence in himself wavered during the match, he received encouragement from a teammate saying, "Believe in yourself, do not waver, you are the best," which allowed him to regain confidence and perform his movements with certainty.

Furthermore, he shared the experience of the moment when the national anthem played and the South Korean flags in the stands were visible while the match was being held at the Grand Palais in France. He expressed the emotion he felt at the time as "goosebumps," sharing the special experience he felt as a Korean athlete. This achievement includes being the first sabre individual gold medal in Korean fencing history, the first Asian team three-peat, and achieving a Grand Slam.

Motivation for Entering Fencing and the Growth Process

Oh Sang-uk's entry into fencing began under the influence of his older brother. He stated that during middle school, he saw his brother start exercising and was attracted to the dynamic movements of fencing, which led him to follow suit. In the early stages of his entry, he experienced difficulties because he was shorter than his peers with a height of 160cm in his first year of middle school, but he said it actually served as an opportunity to learn fast steps suitable for a small stature. He explained that after his height grew rapidly, he became able to execute the steps he learned during his short stature even with his tall height.

Regarding support during his growth process, he mentioned the help of 'Unsan,' a gathering in the Daejeon area. Oh Sang-uk said, "If it weren't for the support of Unsan, I might have quit exercising a little earlier," and conveyed that the group's scholarships and support were a great strength in continuing his athletic career. Currently, a fencing stadium named after him is scheduled to be built in Daejeon.