Song Da-bin Wins South Korea's First Sparring Taekwondo Gold at Asian Games

By Kim Boram

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Song Da-bin won the gold medal in the women's heaviest weight class in taekwondo at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, giving the country the first taekwondo gold at the ongoing competition.

Song beat Mu Wenzhe of China 2-1 in the final of the women's +67-kilogram taekwondo at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya.

It was South Korea's first taekwondo gold in the "kyorugi," or sparring, event at the Asian Games in Japan. South Korea won two gold medals in the poomsae event, where athletes compete in taekwondo patterns and sequences, on Thursday.

Song became the first South Korean gold medalist in the women's +67kg event since Lee Da-bin at the 2018 Asian Games.

She did not drop a round en route to the final.

After winning the first round 4-2, Song lost the second 10-4 on a series of kicks to the body and head.

In the third and final round, she took a 6-2 lead with 50 seconds remaining. Mu cut the deficit to one point with a head kick, but Song sealed the victory at 8-5 with a body kick.

"This is my happiest moment in my athletic career," Song said. "I felt the pressure on my shoulders, but I tried to move lightly on my feet."

She called herself a late bloomer in South Korea, a taekwondo powerhouse where the martial art originated.

She earned her first gold medal at a local competition when she was a high school student, while many taekwondo prodigies win multiple gold medals at a much younger age.

However, the 25-year-old athlete continued on her path and began to shine in her mid-20s. Song won gold at the 2025 Summer World University Games and in a Grand Prix event last month.

"I think I'm still growing. I achieved this not through my talent, but through my effort," she said. "I'll do my best and work harder with the Los Angeles Olympics in mind."