South Korea claimed gold medals across men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, and men’s U-23 football by defeating host nation Japan in successive finals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, according to reports published by donga.com.
Basketball Teams Secure Dual Gold Medals After 12-Year Gap
The men’s basketball team secured their first title in 12 years by defeating Japan 67-57 in the final on September 20, following an earlier 100-83 victory during the group stage. Lee Hyun-jung led the effort with 27 points. The women’s basketball team followed on September 26 with a 75-70 victory over Japan in their final, capturing their first championship since the 2014 Incheon Games and completing South Korea’s first dual-gender basketball sweep since the 2014 Incheon Games, with key contributions from players including Lee Hae-ran.
Baseball Squad Overcomes Super Round Defeat to Claim Fifth Straight Title
The baseball team rebounded from a 5-0 loss to Japan earlier in the tournament’s Super Round to win the gold medal game 3-1 on September 27. Starting pitcher Kwak Bin pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, allowing only one run while striking out 9 batters to secure South Korea’s fifth Asian Games baseball gold medal.
Handball and Football Campaigns Finish with Victories Over Hosts
In women’s handball, South Korea secured the Asian title on the final day of the round-robin schedule by defeating Japan 27-23 on September 27. The victory finished their campaign with a 6-0 record, leaving Japan with the silver medal after a 5-1 finish. The U-23 men’s football team added a fourth gold medal on October 3, defeating Japan 1-0 in the final behind a decisive goal from Um Ji-sung.
Volleyball Conttingents Finish Outside the Medals
While the country’s major team sports excelled on foreign soil, South Korea’s four major sports programs experienced contrasting results in volleyball. Both the men’s and women’s indoor volleyball national teams failed to reach the podium for the second Asian Games, with the men placing seventh and the women finishing fourth in their respective final standings.
