For Ha Ji-min (37, Haeundae-gu Office), the "living legend" of South Korean sailing, each of his four Asian Games gold medals carried a different meaning.

Following his first victory at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, where he cut through the water with the ambition of a 21-year-old, he solidified his status as the front-runner with dominant performances at the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

At 37 years old, he claimed the most meaningful gold medal of his career at his fifth Asian Games.

After securing his fourth career gold medal, Ha said, "This medal is much more emotionally overwhelming than any of my previous ones. Being one of the oldest competitors and always having a bit of doubt about my abilities, this feels like a confirmation that I can still do it."

On October 2, Ha finished first with a net score of 9 penalty points in the men's dinghy 1-person final race at the Gamagori Kaiyo Yacht Harbor in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The victory was even more special because he started on the brink of a crisis, shouldering the worst possible penalty points after being disqualified in the very first race of the tournament.

In sailing, competitors are allowed to drop their worst score among nine preliminary races from the final tally, but because he used up that single chance right from the start, every race had to be sailed on thin ice.


Ha said, "It was a psychologically grueling week, but I am satisfied because I was finally able to trust myself as I found myself immersing in and enjoying this crisis situation."

He reflected, "I think the greater my expectations for the result, the more obsessed I became. I approached each race while constantly reminding myself why I first started sailing."

"When I was young, just being out on the water was great, and after I started racing, the process of reading the wind and responding quickly was fun. But at some point, I found myself focused solely on beating my opponents. I tried to rediscover the reasons why I originally loved sailing." Moving forward unshaken amidst the crisis, he steadily climbed the rankings in the subsequent races to ultimately seize the overall title.

This gold medal, won after becoming a father of two, brings a deep mix of gratitude and apology alongside the joy of victory.

As the father of two children aged 3 and 6, Ha spent nearly half of the past year away from home, staying abroad for a month to prepare for the tournament starting last November, and returning home for only about 15 days before leaving again.

Expressing his affection, he said, "My wife always believes in my potential and encourages me to do better. She is always the person I am most grateful to, as she loves the fact that I enjoy sailing rather than focusing just on the results."

He added, "If I show them how I pursue what I love with enjoyment and fighting spirit, even if they are too young to understand right now, I think they will be inspired directly or indirectly in the future."

With this victory, Ha achieved the remarkable feat of winning four Asian Games titles while also securing a direct ticket to the main event of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Thanks to this, younger athletes competing in the same event can establish long-term training plans under an Olympic system well in advance.


Ha said, "It would be a great picture if younger athletes grow and surpass me to compete in the Olympics over the next two years, and I would be happy if I could help them with that. If no one manages to surpass me by then, I will step up for the Olympics again and aim for the podium with even better results than before."

Sailing is known as a sport where athletes have exceptionally long careers, even among official Olympic and Asian Games events.

Having experienced a period where results fell short of expectations and clear motivation was hard to find while balancing childcare, he gained the most definitive driving force through this tournament.

Ha said, "Having been an athlete for over 20 years, I've realized that the moment I am doing what I love is the most enjoyable. Regardless of the results and whether I can climb higher or not, just doing my best and enjoying the moment has proven to be meaningful enough."

When asked if we can look forward to the next Asian Games, he smiled and replied, "I'll have to prepare for it again."

(Photo: Yonhap News)