▲ South Korean players celebrate after Lee Hae-ran scores a 3-pointer during the women's basketball final against Japan at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 26th. (Photo: Yonhap News)
The South Korean women's national basketball team has claimed its first Asian Games gold medal in 12 years, overcoming the adversity of missing two key players.
Led by head coach Park Su-ho, the national team defeated Japan 75-70 in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, today (the 26th) to capture the title.
This marks the 5th Asian Games gold medal in South Korean women's basketball history and the first since the 2014 Incheon Games.
Although the team set out with the goal of reclaiming the top spot, the journey for this year's women's squad was not smooth.
This was because star players Park Ji-su (KB) and Park Ji-hyun (Los Angeles Sparks) were both unable to play.
The two players are core pillars of South Korean women's basketball who have experience in or are currently playing in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The national team selected a training roster of 13 players including Park Ji-su and Park Ji-hyun, entered training in July, and prepared for the Asian Games by playing friendly matches on an away trip to Japan in August and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup this month.
Park Ji-hyun, who competes in the WNBA, had been scheduled to participate only in the World Cup earlier this month according to her club schedule and sit out the Asian Games.
The national team waited until the last minute for the joining of Park Ji-su, who was undergoing rehabilitation after ankle surgery, but the plan ultimately fell through as it became difficult for her to compete in the tournament.
With two players missing from the 13, the roster was reduced to 11, but the team entered the Asian Games by finalizing a final squad of 11 players without filling the 12th spot.
Head coach Park Su-ho, who has led the national team since 2024, made a bold gamble by trusting the chemistry built through training together since the summer instead of filling the quota.
Having arrived in Japan directly after playing the World Cup in Germany and having to navigate the tournament schedule with one fewer player than other teams, the national team dispelled concerns about physical fatigue by securing a massive victory from their very first match.
Featuring players such as Huh Ye-eun (KB), Kang Lee-seul (Our Bank), Lee Hae-ran (Samsung Life), and Lee So-hee (BNK), the team honed fast transitions, organic passing, and perimeter offense as their secret weapons, exploding for over 100 points to defeat Malaysia 106-40 in their opening group stage match on the 18th.
In the second group match, they beat Mongolia 88-61, and comfortably defeated Taiwan 73-59 in the third match to advance to the quarterfinals with three straight wins.
In the quarterfinals, they thoroughly defeated Indonesia 101-59.
The biggest hurdle of the tournament was the semifinal match against the "Great Wall" of China.
The women's team matched China evenly by neutralizing China's center Zhang Ziyu, who stands over 220 centimeters and was considered a "wall," with tenacious defense involving two and three defenders converging on her.
Late in the game, their trademark shooting erupted, snapping a six-game losing streak in head-to-head matches against China and advancing to the final.
Their final opponent, Japan, was also a formidable adversary.
The women's team had been on a seven-game losing streak in head-to-head matches and had also suffered consecutive losses in two friendly matches held in Tokyo last August.
However, riding a wave of rising momentum, the women's team defeated Japan to capture the gold medal after 12 years.
As the women's national team achieved a "golden finale" by overcoming a grueling draw along with various variables and adversities, South Korean basketball—which was once criticized for "weakening international competitiveness"—pulled off the remarkable feat of taking 3 out of the 4 gold medals at stake in 5x5 and 3x3 basketball at these Asian Games.
Both the men's and women's 5x5 national teams captured host nation Japan in the finals to raise the Taegeukgi at the highest spot in Nagoya, while the men's 3x3 national team composed of four university players secured the sport's first-ever gold medal, signaling the arrival of a "golden generation."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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