Taekwondo Song Da-bin wins gold medal in women's over-67kg class at Asian Games... No-gold crisis rescue

(Toyohashi [Japan] = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-han = At ​​the moment when the first 'no gold' crisis in the history of the Asian Games appeared in the Korean Taekwondo competition, Song Da-bin (25, Ulsan Metropolitan Sports Council) protected the gold vein.

Song Da-bin defeated Mu Wen-je (China) with a round score of 2-1 (4-2 4-10 8-5) in the women's over-67kg final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Toyohashi General Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 3rd.

When we met in the joint coverage area (mixed zone) after the game, he said, “Today is the happiest day of my career,” and added, “When I went to the finals, my shoulders were heavy, but I tried to keep my feet light.”

On the first day of the Korean competition, there were no gold medals and only two bronze medals, and on this day, Kim Yu-jin, the champion of the 2024 Paris Olympics, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Jin-ho Moon and Sang-hyeon Kang also lost in the semifinals, leaving the team with only four bronze medals, excluding Song Da-bin.

If Song Da-bin had lost, Korean sparring would have been unable to win a gold medal at the Asian Games for the first time since the 1986 Seoul Games, when it was first adopted as an official sport.

He looked back and said, "I thought all the players I played with today would go to the finals. Each of them did their best, but unfortunately I was the only one who advanced."

The elimination of Kim Yu-jin, also from the Ulsan Metropolitan City Sports Council, also weighed heavily on my heart.

Song Da-bin said, "I feel like crying because I saw that I prepared harder than anyone else next to me. I'm so sad."

On this day, Song Da-bin's final did not go smoothly.

He won the first round, but lost the second round 4-10, and in the last round, he led 6-2, but was chased down 6-5 after allowing a head attack with about 30 seconds left.

At that time, it was Coach Lee Ah-reum’s voice that caught Song Da-bin.

Song Da-bin, who focused on the coach's voice telling him to "cover your stomach" to prevent the opponent from attacking when extending his front foot, added 2 points with a body attack and maintained the lead until the end to win.

He said, "I could hear Coach (Lee) Areum's voice very well," and "I tried to forget about it as much as I could because I had already lost the second round. Since the opponent had long legs, if he fell back, he would get another hit. I held on stubbornly, no matter what, and tried to stay focused until the end of the game."

Song Da-bin, who had not won a gold medal until middle school, reached the top spot for the first time in her first high school competition. Afterwards, he wore the Taegeuk symbol, but had a difficult time as he was not able to win medals in international competitions.

After winning the World University Games last year, he won his first regular Grand Prix gold medal in Muju last month, and his efforts paid off by winning his first Asian Games.

What led to the growth of athletes with long-term plastic surgery was consistent training. I focused on weight training and strength training in the morning, and kicking and tactical training in the afternoon.

Now, Song Da-bin will continue his challenge with the goal of the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics following the 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Paris, which opens on the 9th.

He said, "I think he is still a growing player. I think he has achieved results through hard work rather than talent. I will do my best from the Grand Prix to the LA Olympics, so I would appreciate your support."

Coach Lee Ah-reum, who helped her win the championship, said of Song Da-bin, "He is a sincere and polite friend. He is full of passion even when exercising. (Song) Da-bin has never been in the spotlight properly. I don't know how much effort he must have put in on his own."