Fencer promotes 'I can do it' mantra in his homeland

South Korean fencer Park Sang-young said Wednesday he wants to see more people using the "I can do it" mantra to overcome troubled situations, just like he did at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. 

Park defeated Geza Imre of Hungary 15-14 in the thrilling final to win an unexpected gold medal in men's individual epee at the Rio Games. Down 14-10 with less than three minutes remaining, he reeled off five unanswered points to complete the unlikely comeback.

At Incheon International Airport, Park said it feels great to be back home and he was surprised to see many fans cheering for him.

"I didn't imagine this many people would be at the airport,"

Park said. "Now I feel like I've won the gold medal."

During the final, Park was seen whispering to himself the words "I can do it." This became a hot topic of conversation among South Koreans who were moved by the fencer's never-give-up mentality.

Park said he didn't know that his murmuring would be so popular here.

"I just muttered to myself in order to focus on my game," he said. "It feels great to hear that my murmuring got popular here. I realized I should do better."

Park said he hopes many people will use the motto when they are in difficult situations, emphasizing that anyone can use it.

"During the final, I thought the silver medal would be enough for me," he said. "But I decided to believe in my hope, thinking this opportunity will never come again. That's why I kept saying 'I can do it.'" Park, 20, said he wants the Olympic gold medal to give him the energy to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.   "Right now, winning a (Olympic) gold medal is the high point of my life and an honor, but this will be forgotten in a year and after four years it will be a burden," he said. "But even if (the gold medal) is considered a burden, I believe it will push me to the limit."

Six men and eight women fencers landed in South Korea on Wednesday from the Rio Olympics. They took two separate flights home, with the sabre fencers and women's epee fencing team arriving first at Incheon International Airport. 

Sabre fencer Kim Jung-hwan said he will dedicate his Olympic medal to his late father who passed away in 2009 from a heart attack. Kim, who was part of the gold medal-winning team at the

2012 London Games, became the first South Korean man to win an individual sabre medal at the Olympics after taking bronze in Rio.

"If my father were alive, he would have been happier than anybody," Kim said. "I got a lot of energy by looking a photo of my late father at the Olympics." (Yonhap)