Nat'l sports chief says S. Korea must learn from experience in Nagoya
NAGOYA, Japan — With South Korea having fallen short of its gold medal target at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the national sports chief said Sunday the country should embrace lessons learned from the continental competition in various aspects. South Korea finished in third place for the third consecutive Asian Games with 39 gold medals, with China once again running roughshod over the…
NAGOYA, Japan — In the wake of South Korea's underwhelming performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the nation's sports chief emphasized the importance of learning from the experience. For the third consecutive Asian Games, South Korea secured the third position, claiming 39 gold medals. Meanwhile, China dominated the competition with 169 gold medals, while Japan recorded the highest tally of gold medals at 83, marking their best-ever performance in an Asian Games.
Prior to the event, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) had set ambitious targets, aiming to bag between 40 to 50 gold medals and narrow the gap with Japan. However, their aspirations came to a halt in the previous two Asian Games, where they finished 75-49 behind in 2018 and 52-42 behind in 2023.
The struggles of traditional gold mines like archery and taekwondo played a significant role in South Korea's disappointing medal haul, according to KSOC President Ryu Seung-min. Speaking at a press conference in Nagoya alongside South Korean media, Ryu pointed out that it is no longer just China and Japan vying for the top spots; teams from Central and Southeast Asia are also making rapid strides.
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.
