16-Day Journey Ends, Leaving Homework for South Korean Sports

[Anchor]

The Asian Games wrapped up yesterday evening, October 4. While there were many touching moments, the final medal tally was the worst since the New Delhi Games 44 years ago.

Reporting from Nagoya, here is Ha Seong-nyong.

[Reporter]

An Se-young stepped up with a pledge to "go all out," dominating her opponents to write a new history of consecutive titles and standing tall as the greatest player of all time.

[An Se-young / National Badminton Team : It's truly crazy. The feeling is crazy, too. Today, I'm going to enjoy hearing the word 'GOAT'.]

Oh Sang-uk, selected as the MVP of our delegation, captured two consecutive gold medals for the second straight tournament with a miraculous four-point comeback despite a back injury. Both the men's and women's basketball teams reignited their fighting spirit against Japan to restore our pride, and all 790 Taegeuk warriors gave it their absolute all in Nagoya.

The daring spirit of teenage rising stars, the unyielding grit of veterans, and the determination of athletes who soared higher, faster, and stronger despite the sorrow of unpopular sports delivered a deep resonance.

[Kim Hyo-bin / National Canoe Team (Two-time gold medalist) : Since there was nowhere proper to train, I hope there can be more active support for equipment.]

South Korean sports also confronted significant challenges.

Ending with the men's football team's historic first four-consecutive titles, South Korea won 39 gold medals. However, for the first time since the 1982 New Delhi Games, the country failed to reach the 40-gold mark, marking a downward trend for three consecutive tournaments and widening the gap with China and Japan.

Amid the rapid rise of athletes from Central Asia alongside China and Japan, compounded by slumps in traditional powerhouse events like archery, taekwondo, and swimming, our athletic delegation is on high alert as preparations begin for the Los Angeles Olympics two years from now.

[SEUNGMIN / President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee : I am certain that (this competition) can serve as a strong catalyst for us to receive a wake-up call, and I believe our role is to provide precise and scaled support.]

To move forward as a stronger Team Korea, precise analysis and a cold, objective evaluation for each sport appear to be essential.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video by Park Hyun-chul | Video Editing by Hwang Ji-young | Design by Hwang Se-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.