The Year in Korean Sports: Champions, Achievements, and Records

➊ LG Twins wins regular season and Korean Series combined for the first time in 29 years

‘Seoul’s pride’ LG Twins again took the top spot in the professional baseball Korean Series for the first time in almost a generation. In the Korean Series against KT Wiz, second place in the regular league, LG went on a 4-game winning streak after losing 1 game, popping the championship champagne for the first time in 29 years since 1994. Just like 29 years ago, this time, they won the regular league and the Korean Series one after another and won the championship belt with overall victory. LG, which took over the original club MBC Blue Dragon and was re-founded in 1990, won the Korean Series for the third time in total, following that year and 1994.

➋ Kim Ha-seong becomes the first Asian infielder to win the MLB Gold Glove Award

Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres), who was mentioned as a trade target just a year ago, took a big leap forward this year with outstanding performances. Ha-seong Kim played various infield positions, including second base, third base, and shortstop, in Major League Baseball (MLB) San Diego, an American professional baseball league full of excellent infielders, showing off his impeccable defensive skills. Accordingly, Ha-seong Kim was named the Golden Glove winner in the National League Utility Fielder category in the list of MLB Gold Glove winners announced last November.

➌ Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in badminton… Won 10 times including AG and World Championships

Ahn Se-young (21, Samsung Life Insurance) has been reborn as the ‘king of badminton women’s singles’ in name and reality over the course of this year. She participated in 17 international competitions this year and achieved 10 wins, 3 runners-up, and 3 third places. Ahn Se-young is the first women’s singles player to win more than nine titles in a season at Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour competitions. Looking at her competition, Ahn Se-young’s feat feels even more remarkable.

➍ Son Heung-min, ‘captain’ at Tottenham… Exceeded 100 goals in EPL and 200 goals in Europe

Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), the best star in Korean soccer, did not stop in 2023. Following the Korean national team, he also wore the captain’s armband for his team, Tottenham in the English Professional Football Premier League (EPL), and also left meaningful records related to scoring. Son Heung-min scored his 100th EPL career goal in the 30th round of the 2022-2023 EPL season against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 8 this year (local time).

➎ Lee Kang-in to PSG, Kim Min-jae to Munich… Join a prestigious European club

2023 was a year in which Korean players such as Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain, PSG) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) joined world-famous clubs one after another, raising the status of Korean soccer. The news on July 9 (Korean time) that Lee Kang-in would play for France’s ‘strongest’ PSG until 2028 was a signal. Lee Kang-in, who was called a ‘genius’ as a child, made his name known on the world stage by leading Korea to second place in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and winning the Golden Ball (Best Player).

➏ Korean swimming renaissance… World Championship·AG Nubbin Hwang Seon-woo and Kim Woo-min

In 2023, Korean swimming left behind its greatest ever performance, brightening its prospects for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is just one year away. At the International Aquatics Federation World Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, Hwang Seon-woo (20, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province) became the first Korean athlete to win two consecutive medals, and at the Hangzhou Asian Games, he won a whopping 22 medals (6 gold, 6 silver, and bronze) in swimming alone. 10 medals poured in. It is significant that the overall level of Korean swimming has improved through a systematic training system.

➐ High jumper Woo Sang-hyuk, Korea’s first Diamond League Final winner

‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyuk (27, Yongin City Hall) smiled brightly while holding the diamond-shaped trophy. Sanghyuk Woo surpassed 2m35 and reached the top in the men’s high jump competition at the 2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA on September 17 (Korean time). They have already set several new milestones in Korean athletics, including 4th place at the Tokyo Olympics (2m 35), winner of the 2022 World Indoor Championships (2m 34), winner of the Diamond League individual competition (2m 33 at the 2022 Doha Games), and 2nd place at the 2022 World Championships (2m 35). A shining line has been added to Woo Sang-hyuk’s resume.

➑ Hwang Seon-hong-ho, 3rd consecutive Asian Games winner… 27 goals, 7 wins, ‘perfect win’

The U-24 national team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, achieved an overwhelming score and won its third consecutive men’s soccer title at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Korea is the first country to win three consecutive men’s soccer titles at the Asian Games. Korean soccer won gold medals at the 2014 Incheon Games and the 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Games, and Hwang Seon-hong, who inherited the feat, also stood at the top in Hangzhou. With Hwang Seon-hong’s win, Korea increased its record for most wins in men’s soccer at the Asian Games to six, widening the gap with Iran (four times), second place in this category.

➒ Hong Myung-bo’s Ulsan, K League 1 2nd consecutive loss… Suwon suffered its first relegation since its founding.

The keyword that runs through professional soccer K-League 1 in 2023 is condensed into ‘the rise and fall of traditional famous families.’ Ulsan Hyundai, which succeeded in winning its first K-League 1 title twice in a row, and Suwon Samsung, which suffered the humiliation of being relegated to the second division for the first time in the club’s history, gave professional soccer fans the emotion of winning and the tears of relegation, respectively, this season. Ulsan won 2-0 in the home game between Daegu FC and Hana One Q K League 1 2023 Final A Round 35 held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on October 29, confirming their ‘early victory’.

➓ Table tennis Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee team up for gold medal for the first time in 21 years at the Asian Games

2023 was the year in which the 21-year-old ‘Asian Games gold medal’ in Korean table tennis was resolved.

Shin Yu-bin (19, Korean Air) and Jeon Ji-hee (31, Mirae Asset Securities) won the women’s doubles gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games that closed last October.

It was the first Asian Games gold medal for a Korean player in 21 years since the 2002 Busan Games. In addition, Korean table tennis boosted its pride by single-handedly blocking China’s sweep of seven table tennis gold medals.

2023-12-29 16:07:56
#power #KSports #recognized #world.. #Top #News #Year