(LEAD) (Asiad) S. Korea's Hwang Seo-hyun wins gold in women's balance beam at Asian Games

NAGOYA, South Korea - South Korea's Hwang Seo-hyun claimed the gold medal in women's balance beam at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, securing the country's second gymnastics victory. Hwang earned a score of 14.700, outpacing Qiu Qiyuan of China, who scored 14.566, at the Nagoya General Gymnasium in central Japan. Mana Okamura of Japan clinched bronze with 14.300 points.

At her Asian Games debut, the 16-year-old delivered an impressive performance, turning a fifth-place finish in qualifying into a dramatic comeback in the final. Qiu, who led the final with a 6.4 difficulty score, was narrowly beaten by Hwang, who attempted a higher 6.6 difficulty score and executed it with an 8.100 execution rating.

With North Korea's Pak Un-jong scoring 12.700 points as the final gymnast, Hwang's victory was confirmed, marking the first time a South Korean female gymnast won the Asian Games balance beam gold since Seo Seon-ang at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. This was also the fourth individual Asian Games gold medal for a South Korean female artistic gymnast, following Seo Seon-ang in the balance beam, Seo Yeon-hee in the uneven bars in 1986, and Yeo Seo-jeong in the vault in 2018 and 2026.