Korea Eyes Golden Days at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on October 2-3

The Korean delegation is expected to secure the most gold medals during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on October 2 and 3. Key events, including finals in archery, taekwondo, golf, sports climbing, and men's soccer, are scheduled for these two days, with a potential of up to 11 gold medals.

Korea will send a total of 1,052 athletes and officials across 41 sports, participating in all events except cricket and padel. This marks the largest number of sports Korea has ever entered in the Asian Games.

The delegation aims to win between 40 and 45 gold medals to maintain its position in the overall standings. Additionally, they seek to close the gap with Japan, which has finished second in the last two Asian Games held in Jakarta-Palembang in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2023.

The Games will officially open on September 19 at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and will run for 16 days until October 4, featuring competitions in 43 sports and 71 events for a total of 469 gold medals.

The first gold medal for the Korean team is anticipated to come from modern pentathlon on September 20, with Seong Seung-min (Korea National Sport University) competing in the women's individual event. He is a strong contender, having won the individual title at the 2024 World Championships, becoming the first Korean woman to do so. He also earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making him the first Asian woman to reach the Olympic podium in modern pentathlon.

On September 21, swimmers Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo (both from Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province) will compete for gold in the men's 800m freestyle relay. They will also participate in the men's 200m freestyle on September 23, with Hwang aiming for a second consecutive Asian Games title in this event.

The fencing team will begin its gold medal pursuit on September 22, starting with the women's epee individual event, featuring Song Se-ra (Busan Metropolitan City Hall), the 2022 World Fencing Champion. On September 23, Olympic double champion Oh Sang-wook (Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall) will compete in the men's sabre individual event, with team events scheduled for September 25 (women's epee) and September 26 (men's sabre).

The Korean team's golden days are expected to be on October 2 and 3, just before the Games conclude on October 4. If all participating athletes perform at their best, Korea could secure up to 11 gold medals during this period.

On October 2, the women's recurve team event, mixed team event, and men's recurve team event will take place. The men's team includes Kim Je-deok (Yecheon County), Kim Woo-jin (Cheongju City), and Lee Woo-seok (Kolon Xten Boys), while the women's team features Kang Chae-young (Hyundai Mobis), Oh Ye-jin (Gwangju Bank), and Lee Yoon-ji (Hyundai Mobis).

In judo, Lee Hyun-ji (Yongin University) will compete for gold in the women's over 78kg category on the same day.

The esports team will also compete in the League of Legends finals on October 2, led by coach Kang Dong-hoon, featuring players such as 'Zeus' Choi Woo-jae and 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok, who are looking to defend their gold medal from the Hangzhou Games.

On October 3, the men's recurve individual event will continue, with Kim Woo-jin, a three-time champion at the 2024 Paris Olympics, leading the charge. He, along with Kim Je-deok and Lee Woo-seok, will compete together for the third consecutive major international multi-sport event.

Taekwondo will aim for two gold medals on this day, with Kang Sang-hyun in the men's over 80kg category and Kim Yoo-jin (Ulsan Metropolitan City Sports Council) in the women's 57kg category. Kim Yoo-jin is a gold medalist from the Paris Olympics.

This year's taekwondo competition features 11 gold medals across eight sparring events, two poomsae events, and one virtual taekwondo event, with Korea targeting 4 to 5 golds. In the previous Hangzhou Games, Korea secured five golds.

Men's golf will also conclude its final round on October 3, with the competition starting on September 30 and running for four days. Players include Kim Joo-hyung and Kim Sung-hyun, who compete on the PGA Tour, and Moon Do-yeob, who plays in LIV Golf. Additionally, Seo Chae-hyun (Seoul City Hall) will compete for gold in women's lead climbing.

The men's soccer team is also aiming for a spot in the finals on October 3. If they win gold, it will mark their fourth consecutive championship. They started strong with a 4-1 victory over Qatar in their first group match on September 15, thanks to a hat trick from Um Ji-sung (Swansea City). They will face Saudi Arabia on September 22, followed by quarterfinals on September 25 and semifinals on September 30, before potentially reaching the finals.

Both the men's and women's teams will compete in six team sports: baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and handball. Each sport has one gold medal at stake, but the collective achievements of the teams hold significant meaning.

The women's handball tournament will feature a crucial match against Japan on September 27, which is essentially a gold medal decider. Korea lost to Japan by ten points in the finals of the previous tournament, and there is keen interest in whether they can avenge that defeat on Japanese soil.

The men's handball team will need to finish in the top two of Group B to face the third or fourth place team from Group A in the quarterfinals. Given Japan's strong position in Group A, a potential Korea-Japan matchup may only occur in the semifinals.

In hockey, the men's team will face Japan in their final group match on September 28, with a top-two finish necessary to advance to the semifinals. The women's team is in a different group, and both teams must survive the tournament to meet in the knockout stage.

There is a high likelihood of a Korea-Japan matchup in baseball as well. If Korea finishes first in Group B, they will likely face Japan, the top team in Group A, in the first round of the Super Round on September 25. If they advance to the finals, they could meet either Taiwan or Japan for the gold medal.

The softball team, aiming for its first medal in the Asian Games, will face Japan on September 30, a strong contender for the title.

In basketball, a Korea-Japan matchup has already occurred, with the men's team defeating Japan 100-83 in the group stage on September 13, finishing first in their group with three consecutive wins. The team continued its momentum by defeating Jordan 114-80 in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals. If both Korea and Japan reach the finals, they will meet again.

Women's basketball and both men's and women's volleyball teams are in different groups, and whether they will face Japan will depend on their group stage results.

In soccer, both Korea-Japan and North-South Korea matchups are on the line. The women's team will face North Korea in their third group match on September 21, following their 5-0 victory over Myanmar on September 14 and their second match against Bangladesh on September 17. If Korea finishes second in Group F and Japan tops Group E, a Korea-Japan semifinal could occur. The men's team is in Group D and will only face Japan and North Korea in the semifinals.

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