Thrilling Victory by 0.255 Seconds... Men's Kayak Fours 500m Gold Medal

The South Korean canoe sprint national team clinched a thrilling gold medal in the men's kayak fours event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Today (September 24), at the Miyoshiike Canoe Course in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, the South Korean team won the canoe sprint men's kayak fours 500m final with a time of 1 minute, 22.587 seconds.

Comprising Cho Gwang-hee, Kim Hyo-bin, Chang Sang-won, and Choi Min-gyu, the South Korean team seized control of the race from the very beginning.

Starting from lane 4, South Korea clocked the fastest time among all participating countries in the first 250m section at 40.44 seconds, pulling ahead into the lead.

In the latter half of the race, a nail-biting battle unfolded against China in lane 5, which closely pursued South Korea within a 0.04-second margin at the 250m mark.

However, maintaining their focus until the end, South Korea defended their lead and crossed the finish line first, beating second-place China (1 minute, 22.842 seconds) by a mere 0.255 seconds.

The bronze medal went to Japan, which recorded 1 minute, 25.909 seconds.

The national team had already hinted at a "gold-winning race" by displaying excellent condition in the heats held the previous day.

In the second heat held at the same venue on September 23, South Korea finished first with a time of 1 minute, 25.383 seconds, smoothly securing their spot in Final A.

Canoe sprint is an event where athletes race in a straight line over a set distance on calm water, with rankings determined by the order of crossing the finish line. Finishing near the top of the preliminary heats allows teams to advance directly to the medal-deciding final without going through the semifinals.
 
(Photo: Reuters, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.