▲ South Korean men's national water polo team
The South Korean men's national water polo team's bid for its first Asian Games medal in 36 years was halted in the quarterfinals after being blocked by powerhouse Kazakhstan.
South Korea lost 14-18 to Kazakhstan in the men's water polo quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Rainbow Pool of the Nagoya Comprehensive Gymnasium in Japan on September 29.
As a result, South Korea has dropped to the 5th-8th place classification matches scheduled for October 2.
The goal of reviving the Asian Games medal streak, which has been absent since the bronze medal at the 1990 Beijing Games, has also been postponed to the next opportunity.
The start was even.
South Korea traded fierce attacks and defenses with their opponents in the first quarter, closely matching them 3-4.
However, starting from the second quarter, they began to waver under Kazakhstan's strong offensive and finished the first half trailing 6-9.
Entering the third quarter, their defensive organization faltered, conceding a large number of 7 goals, which widened the gap.
South Korea did not give up until the end in the final fourth quarter, displaying concentration to gain an advantage of 4-2 and mount a chase, but there was not enough time left to overturn the score gap created in the middle.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.