Virtual Taekwondo competitor Ahn Hyang-sik, who aimed to become the inaugural Asian Games champion, was eliminated in the first round.
Ahn faced Vietnam's Chau Ngoc Tuan in the mixed individual 16-round match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on October 2 at the Toyohashi General Gymnasium in Japan, losing 1-2.
Virtual Taekwondo, a newly adopted event in this competition, involves athletes wearing virtual reality (VR) headsets and motion tracking devices to compete in a virtual arena without physical contact.
The mixed individual event is conducted without gender or weight class distinctions, with matches decided in a best-of-three format, allowing up to 60 seconds per round.
Ahn encountered difficulties during the match due to issues with the competition's timing and equipment malfunctions. The match, originally scheduled to start at 9:10 a.m. for ten minutes, was delayed and began at 9:20 a.m., concluding at 9:33 a.m. The competition was briefly halted with 18 seconds remaining in the first round due to equipment problems.
Later that day, Ahn is set to compete in the men's 58 kg Taekwondo sparring event at 2:30 p.m., seeking another chance for a medal.
On the same day, South Korean Taekwondo athletes Kang Jae-gwon in the men's 80 kg category, Lee Yoo-min in the women's 49 kg category, and Kwak Min-joo in the women's 67 kg category will also be vying for gold medals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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