(Asiad) S. Korea rakes in 5 gold medals; baseball stars, teen skateboarder come through
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea raked in five gold medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, with the baseball team extending the country's gold medal-winning streak to five and a teenage skateboarder delivering the country's first gold in the sport.
South Korea has now won 21 gold medals with seven days left in the competition, good enough for third place in the medal race behind China and Japan.
South Korean players celebrate after beating Japan 3-1 in the teams' baseball gold medal game at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, Japan, on Sept. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)
The baseball team beat Japan 3-1 for the gold medal in Toyohashi, east of the main host city Nagoya, as a collection of Korea Baseball Organization All-Stars avenged a loss to the host country from two days earlier.
South Korean had been shut out 5-0 in the Super Round against a Japanese team of semi-pros and amateurs. The final was a tight affair, before South Korea scored twice in the top eighth and the bullpen locked things down over the final two innings.
Earlier in the day, the 17-year-old Kang Jun-i became the first South Korean to win an Asiad gold in skateboarding, when he won the men's street event title with 180.85 points.
Athletes each performed three "runs" and three "tricks," with the best score from each session added for their final score.
Kang earned 88.45 points with his Run 3, the highest score by anyone in the final. But Kang fell during his first two Trick routines and received zero points. Then in Trick 3, Kang scored 92.40 points, also the highest mark in the final with no one else reaching 90.
Kang Jun-i of South Korea reacts after seeing his score during the men's street event final in skateboarding at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, on Sept. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)
The women's handball team defeated Japan 27-23 for South Korea's eighth Asiad gold and its first since 2018. South Korea also got a payback against Japan after losing to the rival nation 29-19 in the final of the 2023 Asiad.
South Korea ended the fencing competition by capturing the women's sabre team title over Japan. The team of Jeon Ha-young, Choi Se-bin, Seo Ji-yeon and Kim Jeong-mi handily won 45-31 for South Korea's fourth fencing gold medal at this year's Asiad.
Also on Sunday, South Korea ended a 12-year drought in the individual dressage event in equestrian, as Nam Dong-heon grabbed the gold medal with 75.190 points.
Yu Jiayi of China won the silver medal with 75.050 points, and Aleksandra Maksakova of Palestine took bronze with 74.935 points.
South Korea picked up two medals in diving Sunday. Kim Su-ji and Kim Na-hyun teamed up for silver in the women's synchronized 3m springboard, the country's first silver since 2002.
Then Shin Jung-whi and Kim Yeong-taek won bronze in the men's synchronized 10m platform.
Members of the South Korean women's sabre fencing team form hearts during the victory ceremony after winning gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, on Sept. 27, 2026. From left: Kim Jeong-mi, Jeon Ha-young, Seo Ji-yeon and Choi Se-bin. (Yonhap)
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