Park Sang-young (Korean pronunciation:[pak̚.s͈aŋ.jʌŋ] or [pak̚][saŋ.jʌŋ]; born 16 October 1995) is a South Korean right-handed épéefencer, three-time team Asian champion, 2021 team Olympic bronze medalist, and 2016 individual Olympic champion.[1]
Early life
Park was introduced to fencing in middle school. He nearly had to give up the sport as his family could not afford the expensive equipment but financial aid from a non-profit charity and his admission into Gyeongnam Physical Education High School [ko], a public school, allowed him to continue to fencing.[2][3][4] During his first year in high school, he won first place in the individual épée category at the national high school championships.[4]
Career
Park was junior world champion in Moscow in 2012, becoming the first South Korean male junior fencer to win a medal in the épée event.[5][4] He qualified for the senior national team in 2013 by winning the national championship, a rarity for a high school student as fencers generally competed at collegiate level before making the step up. Dubbed a "monster rookie", he made headlines by narrowly defeating veterans Kweon Young-jun and Jung Jin-sun.[4][6]
The 2014–15 season proved more difficult for Park. He sustained a knee injury while fencing against Pavel Pitra of the Czech Republic in the table of 16 at the March Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary.[10] The injury prevented him from taking part in the 2015 Asian Championships and the World Championships. He returned to competition a year later, winning a bronze medal in the Vancouver world cup in February 2016.[11]
^Michael Balcaen (23 July 2014). "Un final en fanfare !" (in French). TV5 Monde. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
