South Korean canoeing pride Cho Gwang-hee (32) has paddled his way to his third career gold medal at his fifth Asian Games appearance.

He proved his heavy presence as a veteran once again by leading South Korea to its first-ever gold medal in the men's kayak four (K4) 500m, an event often called the "flower of canoeing."

Team up with Kim Hyo-bin, Jang Sang-won, and Choi Min-gyu, Cho claimed the gold medal with a time of 1 minute, 22.587 seconds in the men's kayak four 500m final at the Miyoshiko Canoe Sprint Course during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on the 24th.

It was a thrilling victory, edging out China (1 minute, 22.842 seconds) by a narrow margin of 0.255 seconds after a nail-biting close race.

Cho's canoeing life has been a series of major and minor turning points.

Having transitioned to canoeing after starting out in boxing and track and field during his school days, Cho showcased unmatched skills domestically since his high school years and grew into Asia's strongest athlete.

His original main event was the men's kayak single (K1) 200m, which requires explosive speed.

He enjoyed his heyday by winning back-to-back gold medals in this event at the 2014 Incheon Games and the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

He has also left clear footprints on the world stage beyond Asia.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, his first-ever Olympic stage, he drew attention by reaching the semifinals in both the men's kayak single (K1) and double (K2) 200m events. He also succeeded in advancing to the K1 200m semifinals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, standing proudly shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's top athletes.

However, starting from the Hangzhou Games, he faced a variable when his primary event, the K1 200m, was excluded from the Asian Games program.

From then on, he turned his eyes to multi-person events where he could synchronize with teammates, paving a new path, and ultimately wrote a new chapter in South Korean canoeing history here in Nagoya.

This marks the first time in the history of the event that South Korea has won a gold medal in the K4, which is called the "flower of canoeing" because four athletes must synchronize with perfect balance.

Cho, who previously competed in the K4 500m at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and the 2022 Hangzhou Games, had to settle for silver medals in two consecutive competitions after falling behind Kazakhstan and China, respectively.

However, by winning the rematch against China achieved after his third attempt, he finally conquered the Asian summit in a multi-person event as well.

Having harvested his third career Asian Games gold medal with this victory, Cho's race does not stop here.

Teaming up once again with Kim Hyo-bin, with whom he shared today's gold medal, he will compete in the men's kayak double (K2) 500m event on the 25th, aiming for multiple crowns at this competition.

(Photo: SHINHWA, Yonhap News)