The South Korean sepak takraw national team has secured a medal in the women's double event at the Asian Games for the first time in 16 years.

On September 27, South Korea defeated both India and Japan with set scores of 2-0 in Group B of the women's double preliminaries at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Mizuho Park Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan. With two consecutive wins, South Korea secured at least second place in the group and confirmed its advancement to the semifinals.

In Group B of the tournament, where four countries are divided into two groups for the group stage, South Korea and the Philippines each claimed two wins today, while Japan and India suffered two losses each.

As a result, South Korea and the Philippines have advanced to the semifinals, which are contested by the top two teams, regardless of the outcome of their final match tomorrow.

Both teams have also secured at least a bronze medal.

This is South Korea's second medal of the current tournament, following the silver medal in the women's team regu event.

Except for special cases like the women's team regu event in this tournament where only four countries competed, the Asian Games sepak takraw event does not hold a separate third-place playoff, awarding bronze medals to both teams that lose in the semifinals.

This marks South Korea's first medal in the women's double event at the Asian Games in 16 years, since the bronze medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and the second in history.

South Korea failed to pass the group stage at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and the women's regu event was excluded from the discipline's details at the subsequent 2018 and 2022 Asian Games.

South Korea wrapped up its first match against India held this morning in just two sets.

In the first set, starting striker Han Ye-ji and captain Lee Min-ju (both of Busan Environmental Corporation), who serves as the "feeder" (akin to a setter in volleyball), teamed up to win 15-8. In the second set, Kim Seo-young (Chungnam Sports Council) was substituted in as striker, and South Korea won more easily at 15-3.

In the second match held in the afternoon, South Korea also swept host nation Japan in two sets (15-13, 15-7).

South Korea will play its final preliminary match against the Philippines tomorrow starting at 9:00 AM, which effectively serves as the Group B first-place decider, before competing in the semifinals at 2:00 PM.

Han Ye-ji, Lee Min-ju, and Kim Seo-young, who combined for the silver medal in the women's team regu, have secured their second medal of the tournament and will continue their pursuit of the top spot.

(Photo courtesy of Korea Sepak Takraw Association, Yonhap News)