{
  "id": 6096143,
  "title": "Athlete eyes Asian Games gold medals in real, virtual taekwondo events",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/athlete-eyes-asian-games-gold-medals-in-real-virtual-taekwondo-events-6096143",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-07T04:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260907/athlete-eyes-asian-games-gold-medals-in-real-virtual-taekwondo-events"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korean taekwondo athlete An Hyang-sik eyes a historic double gold medal feat at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. Traditionally, Korean practitioners have been limited to winning just one gold medal per Asian Games due to the one-weight class rule. However, this year, the addition of virtual taekwondo allows competitors to earn two medals for the first time.\n\nAn will compete in both traditional and virtual taekwondo events. In the virtual version, athletes wear VR headsets and motion-tracking devices to face off against computer-generated opponents. The objective is to diminish the opponent's power gauge or retain more of one's own gauge after a 60-second round, reminiscent of combat video games.\n\nAn Hyang-sik, set to compete in the men's 58 kilograms category against real opponents, expressed his ambition to hear the national anthem twice during the Japanese event. He shared these sentiments with reporters after taking part in a World Taekwondo Grand Prix event in Muju, approximately 180 kilometers south of Seoul.",
  "summary": "No Korean taekwondo practitioner has won more than one gold medal at an Asian Games, for the simple reason that athletes could only compete in one weight class at a time. For this year's Asian Games, however, they will have a chance to bring home two medals for the first time, thanks to the addition of virtual taekwondo. In the digitized version of the Korean martial art, practitioners wearing…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Athlete eyes Asian Games gold medals in real, virtual taekwondo events",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/athlete-eyes-asian-games-gold-medals-in-real-virtual-taekwondo-events",
        "published": "2026-09-07T02:46:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Athlete eyes Asian Games gold medals in real, virtual taekwondo events",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/athlete-eyes-asian-games-gold-medals-in-real-virtual-taekwondo-events-6094413",
        "published": "2026-09-07T03:52:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}