South Korea Falls Short of Gold Medal Goals at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

For the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games that ended with the closing ceremony Sunday night, South Korea had set out to win 40 to 45 gold medals and narrow its gap with Japan in the medal race.

The country accomplished neither of those goals.

South Korea finished with 39 gold medals for its third consecutive third-place finish, behind China and Japan, and this was also South Korea's fewest gold medal tally since taking home 28 in 1982.

The gap between South Korea and Japan was much bigger than that between South Korea and the fourth-place finisher, India, which finished with 21 gold medals.

The Korean Sport teams from Central and Southeast Asia are improving rapidly," Ryu said Sunday at a press conference with South Korean media in Nagoya. "It is true that we did not live up to expectations in some sports. And this was an important occasion for us to see where we stand with the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles two years away. We at the KSOC will carry out a detailed analysis on results here and take a look at all the elements that can affect athletes' performances, such as training systems and sports science.

On a positive note, South Korea did get a boost from basketball -- winning both the men's and the women's gold medals for the first such sweep in 12 years while also winning the men's 3x3 title.

The country received gold medals from other team sports such as baseball, men's football and women's handball.

South Korea had a solid fencing campaign with four gold medals and 10 medals overall, after winning six gold medals at each of the past two editions of the Asian Games.

"In the days leading up to this event, I stressed that this Asiad would be a key part of the buildup process for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics," Ryu said. "We will listen more closely to athletes and coaches as we move forward, and make sure we present a stronger version of Team Korea in LA." (Yonhap)