(2nd LD) (Asiad) Ha Jee-min wins S. Korea's first gold in sailing at 2026 Asian Games
(ATTN: ADDS comments, more info from 10th para, new photo)
By Kim Boram
NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Ha Jee-min won his fourth Asian Games medal in men's sailing Friday.
Ha finished first in the men's dinghy event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city of Nagoya.
It is his fourth Asian Games gold medal in the event, following one each at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 events. He won silver at the 2022 edition.
It is also South Korea's first sailing gold at the ongoing competition.
Halliday Nicholas Bezy of Hong Kong won silver, and Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy of Malaysia took bronze.
South Korea's Ha Jee-min poses for a photo with his gold medal during a medal ceremony after winning the men's dinghy sailing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
In dinghy, sailors receive points equal to their finishing positions in each race of the opening series.
After nine races, the 10 sailors with the lowest scores advance to the two-race final, with their worst race score allowed to be excluded.
Ha topped the leaderboard after the opening series and advanced to the final.
He finished third in the first final race and sixth in the second, scoring nine points without penalty points, while Halliday finished first and third in the final races, scoring 11 points, including seven penalty points.
South Korea's Ha Jee-min celebrates his victory after winning the gold medal in the men's dinghy sailing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
Ha said his fourth Asiad gold medal meant a lot to him as it showed he is still competitive on the international stage.
"This medal excites me far more than my previous medals," the 37-year-old sailor said. "I'm one of the oldest among the athletes here, and I doubted my capability. With this gold, it's like I confirmed that I'm still able to do this."
Ha's gold medal also gave South Korea a ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, helping him set detailed training plans for the next two years.
"For the next two years, it would be better if younger athletes beat me and compete at the Olympics, and I'll be very happy to contribute to the campaign," he said. "If there's no athlete that overcomes me, I'll compete at the Olympics and make it to the podium."
Ha has competed at the Olympics since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, he finished seventh in the men's single dinghy, becoming the first Korean sailor to finish in the top 10.
South Korea's Ha Jee-min gives a thumbs-up before the final race of men's dinghy sailing at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
In mixed dinghy, the South Korean duo of Kim Chang-ju and Lee Gyeong-jin won the silver medal behind the Japanese team by five points.
After 10 races, Kim and Lee scored 20 net points, while the Japanese earned 15 points.
The bronze medal went to China with 29 points.
South Korea's Kim Chang-ju (L) and Lee Gyeong-jin pose for a photo with their silver medals during a medal ceremony after the mixed dinghy sailing at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
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