South Korea's delegation had a strong start at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, securing four gold medals on the first day of competition.
On September 20, South Korea won a total of 14 medals, including four golds, three silvers, and seven bronzes, placing third in the overall medal standings.
The gold medal tally began with modern pentathlon, where Seong Seung-min triumphed in the women's individual event, marking the first time a South Korean woman has won gold in this category at the Asian Games. Seong also contributed to a silver medal in the team event alongside Kim Eun-joo and Shin Soo-min.
In the men's modern pentathlon, the team of Jeon Woong-tae, Lee Jong-hyun, and Seo Chang-wan topped the podium in the team event, successfully defending their title. Jeon also earned a silver medal in the individual competition, while Lee added a bronze, bringing the day's total for South Korea in modern pentathlon to two golds, two silvers, and one bronze.
In techball, a newly official event at this tournament, Lee Jun-seok emerged as the first champion, winning all eight matches from the preliminary rounds to the final in the men's singles.
The men's basketball team joined the gold medal celebration by defeating host nation Japan 67-57 in the final, marking South Korea's return to the top after 12 years since the 2014 Incheon Games. Excluding domestic events, this victory represents South Korea's first away Asian Games gold since the 1982 New Delhi Games.
In swimming, Kim Young-beom and Hwang Sun-woo both reached the podium in the men's 100m freestyle. Kim secured a silver medal with a time of 47.65 seconds, just 0.04 seconds behind gold medalist Pan Zhanle of China (47.61 seconds). Hwang earned a bronze with a time of 47.79 seconds. In the men's 100m backstroke, Lee Joo-ho finished third with a time of 53.94 seconds, marking his third consecutive bronze at the Asian Games.
The first medal for the South Korean team came in cycling, where Shin Ji-eun claimed bronze in the women's individual time trial with a time of 36 minutes and 56.14 seconds. In shooting, Ban Hyo-jin, celebrating her 19th birthday, added a bronze in the women's 10m air rifle event. The tennis team also secured bronze medals in both the men's and women's team events, despite losing to Taiwan in the semifinals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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