Sports Briefs

FENCING

Oh Sang-uk wins gold at Cancun Grand Prix

Oh Sang-uk, ranked second in men’s sabre in the International Fencing Federation, defeated No. 5 Aron Szilagyi 15-14 to win the Cancun Grand Prix in Mexico on Sunday.

Before the finals, Oh defeated Luca Curatoli of Italy 15-12 in the quarterfinals and Andras Szatmari of Hungary, who won the World Championship this year, 15-10 in the semifinals.

In the final match against Szilagyi, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics, the two jostled back and forth for the lead before Oh finalized his victory by a point.

Before Sunday, Oh also won the individual and team event at the World Cup in Gyor, Hungary, on Dec. 1. His accomplishments this season earned him the MVP title from the Korean Fencing Federation.

Gu Bon-gil, the top-ranked fencer in men’s sabre this season, won bronze after losing 15-13 in the semifinals to Szilagyi.

By Kang Yoo-rim

FOOTBALL

Year’s best goal is a U-20 stunner by Lee Seung-woo

A goal against Argentina by former FC Barcelona prospect Lee Seung-woo at the FIFA U-20 World Cup was voted the best goal of the year by Korean fans, the Korea Football Association revealed Tuesday.

The 19-year-old forward’s goal against Argentina earned 4,705 votes in a year-end fan poll, representing 23.7 percent of all votes.

Lee, who is now playing with Hellas Verona in Italy, dribbled past Argentine defenders from the half line and found the net with his left foot at the U-20 World Cup group stage match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla, on May 23. With Lee’s goal, Korea won the match 2-1.

In the poll, Lee’s chipped goal against Zambia in the team’s friendly match in March was a close second with 4,103 votes.

For the match of the year, Korean fans picked the national men’s team’s 2-1 win over Colombia in a friendly match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi, last month. The match received 36 percent of votes.

Next East Asian Cup will be held in South Korea in 2019

The East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship - also known as the East Asian Cup - will be held in South Korea in 2019, the Korea Football Association said Tuesday, following its rotational order of hosting the four-nation tournament.

“On rotational basis in the order of Japan, Korea and China, we’ll host the 2019 edition of the E-1 Football Championship,” a Korean football official said. “Once we receive the presidency from Japan next March, we’ll set up an office and start preparations for the tournament.”

It will be the third time that South Korea has hosted the regional tournament. The country previously hosted in 2005 and 2013.

Yonhap