(Asiad) Hwang ends South Korea's 40-yr wait for Asiad balance beam gold
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's 40-year gold medal drought in the women's balance beam at the Asian Games was unexpectedly ended by a teenager.
Hwang Seo-hyun, 16, won the gold medal after scoring 14.700 points in the women's balance beam final at Nagoya General Gymnasium in Nagoya, central Japan, on Friday.
She beat Qiu Qiyuan of China, a former world champion in the uneven bars, who earned 14.566 points, and Mana Okamura of Japan, who scored 14.300 points.
"I competed in the final just as usual. I'm glad with this good result," Hwang said. "I wasn't surprised by the score because I had earned similar points at the Asian championships, but I was surprised to finish first."
South Korea's Hwang Seo-hyun (C) celebrates her victory with the national flag after winning the women's balance beam final of artistic gymnastics at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Nagoya General Gymnasium, in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 25, 2026, in this Reuters photo. (Yonhap)
It was the first time a South Korean female gymnast had won the Asian Games balance beam gold medal since Seo Seon-ang at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games.
Hwang also became the fourth South Korean female artistic gymnast to win an individual Asian Games gold medal, following Seo Seon-ang in the balance beam and Seo Yeon-hee in the uneven bars in 1986, and Yeo Seo-jeong in the vault in 2018 and 2026.
The 16-year-old gymnast earned a spot at the Asian Games at the last minute.
She missed a place on the national team, which was awarded to the top four gymnasts at a national competition in May. However, she earned a berth as the fifth member after her balance beam title at last year's Asian championships boosted her selection points.
Hwang turned that fifth spot into an Asian Games gold medal in Japan, delivering a nearly flawless performance in the final.
South Korea's Hwang Seo-hyun (C) celebrate her gold medal during a victory ceremony after winning the women's balance beam final of artistic gymnastics at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Nagoya General Gymnasium, in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 25, 2026, in this Reuters photo. (Yonhap)
"I was so touched when watching the leaderboard. It was a totally different feeling from what I felt during the Asian championships," she said. "It's unrealistic that I won the gold medal in the event for the first time in 40 years."
The teenage gymnast is already looking beyond the Asian Games, first targeting the artistic gymnastics world championships scheduled for next month in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and then the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"I want to become a balance beam medalist at the Olympics," she said. "On my way to that goal, I'll perform well at the upcoming world championships."
South Korea's Hwang Seo-hyun performs during the women's balance beam final of artistic gymnastics at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Nagoya General Gymnasium, in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 25, 2026, in this Xinhua photo. (Yonhap)
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