(2nd LD) (Asiad) S. Korea's Jung Ha-eun wins gold in taekwondo poomsae
NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Jung Ha-eun won the gold medal in the women's taekwondo poomsae at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country its first taekwondo gold in the ongoing competition.
In the women's individual poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Jung won 9.3100 to top the podium.
Juliana Mykhail Candelaria of the Philippines won the silver medal with 9.1300 points, while bronze medals went to Thitaree Kaewolanwasu of Thailand with 9.0400 and Yuiko Niwa of Japan with 8.9100.
South Korea's Jung Ha-eun celebrates her gold medal after the final of the women's taekwondo individual poomsae at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 1, 2026. (Yonhap)
She became the second female gold medalist poomsae practitioner at the Asiad, following Cha Yea-eun who won the event's title at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
South Korea had won one gold and one bronze in the individual event and one silver in the team event since the discipline became an official Asian Games event in 2018.
Jung scored 9.320 points in her first routine, receiving 3.700 points for accuracy and 5.620 for presentation. In her second performance, she earned 5.560 points for technique and 3.740 for presentation, for a total of 9.300.
Her final score was the average of the scores from the two routines.
Jung started her taekwondo career at the age of 8 and chose to specialize in poomsae when she was in her second year of high school.
She won the gold medal in the pair event at the 2024 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
South Korea's Jung Ha-eun performs during the final of the women's taekwondo individual poomsae at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 1, 2026. (Yonhap)
Jung, 25, said she battled through Achilles and hamstring injuries to compete in Japan.
"The mat was too slippery, and I had to stay alert because the final would come down to small mistakes," Jung said. "Whatever poomsae routine was going to be assigned to me, I thought it would belong to me. I am so happy right now."
Jung, who fell short in the national team trials for the 2023 Asian Games, said she was also glad her perseverance finally paid off.
"Whenever I was broken down, I got back up again and again," she added. "If my body holds up, I will try to become the first to win back-to-back poomsae gold medals."
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