[Asian Games] Korean basketball sweeps 4 medals, but challenges remain at home
Korean basketball is enjoying a rare moment of across-the-board success at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, securing medals in all four men’s and women’s 5x5 and 3x3 events, a striking international resurgence for a sport that has struggled for attention, infrastructure and stable pipeline at home. The men’s 5x5 team, coached by Latvia’s Nikolajs Mazurs, ended a 12-year Asian Games title drought by…
![[Asian Games] Korean basketball sweeps 4 medals, but challenges remain at home](/img/9934229)
The Korean basketball team has achieved a rare flurry of success at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, capturing medals in all four men's and women's 5x5 and 3x3 events. This marks a significant international resurgence for the sport, which has historically struggled for attention, resources, and a consistent development pipeline in Korea.
The men's 5x5 team, coached by Latvia's Nikolajs Mazurs, ended a 12-year title drought by defeating host nation Japan 67-57 in the final, held on Sunday. Earlier on Friday, the men's 3x3 squad secured Korea's first Asian Games gold in the discipline, beating Qatar 19-10. Korea's women's 3x3 team also claimed its first Asian Games medal, taking bronze after defeating Thailand 21-8.
The women's 5x5 side secured at least a silver medal by defeating China 85-80 in the semifinals and advancing to Saturday night's final against Japan. This remarkable performance for a sport whose domestic profile has long faltered since its 1990s peak has offered an unexpected surge of optimism. "The men's gold was the result of a challenge taken on by everyone — the players, the coaching staff and the federation," a basketball official stated.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
