On day 9, Korea is third with 21 gold, 23 silver and 39 bronze medals, led by a fifth straight baseball title, women’s handball gold after eight years, and Ahn Se-young heading to the final
🎧 Post Summary
📌 Post Summary
The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have passed the halfway mark. As of 6 a.m. on September 28, Korea had 21 gold, 23 silver and 39 bronze medals, placing third behind China and Japan. China leads with 119 golds and Japan has 37. Korea added five golds on September 27 alone. The baseball team beat Japan 3-1 in the final for a fifth straight title, the women’s handball team defeated Japan 27-23 to win gold for the first time in eight years, and the women’s sabre team also beat Japan 45-31 in the team final. On September 28, badminton star Ahn Se-young beat Chen Yufei 2-0 to reach the final, where she will face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi on September 29 in a bid to become the first woman to win back-to-back Asian Games singles titles. Other stories included the men’s 400 meter relay team being disqualified in the heats and then reinstated for the final on appeal.
The Games opened on September 19 and run through October 4. It is the third time Japan has hosted the Asian Games, and the first in 32 years. Korea sent 792 athletes to compete in 41 sports and set a goal of finishing third overall for a third straight Games, following Jakarta-Palembang in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2022. In Hangzhou, Korea won 42 gold, 59 silver and 89 bronze medals. With 21 golds already in hand, here is Korea’s midpoint report card, covering the medal count, events and athletes, key issues and what to watch next.
Medal Standings at a Glance
| Rank | Country | Gold Medals |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | China | 119 |
| 2nd | Japan | 37 |
| 3rd | South Korea | 21 (23 silver, 39 bronze, 83 total) |
These figures are eToday’s tally as of 6 a.m. on September 28. According to Seoul Economic Daily, Korea was third with 16 golds and 21 silvers through September 26, the halfway point, and held roughly a two-to-one lead over fourth-place Uzbekistan (8 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze) in total medals. The overall ranking is determined by gold medal count first.
Gold Medal Events and Athletes
| Event | Athlete / Team | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Modern pentathlon | Seong Seung-min | Team Korea’s first gold medal of the Games |
| Canoe sprint | Jo Gwang-hee, Kim Hyo-bin | First Korean athletes to win two golds at these Games. In the men’s kayak four 500m, Jo, Kim, Jang Sang-won and Choi Min-gyu beat China by 0.255 seconds |
| Artistic gymnastics, women’s vault | Yeo Seo-jeong | Won with an average of 14.483 points, her second Asian Games gold after 2018 |
| Artistic gymnastics, women’s balance beam | Hwang Seo-hyeon | First Korean title in this event in 40 years |
| Men’s 3×3 basketball | National team | First Asian Games gold in the sport, and Team Korea’s 800th all-time Asian Games gold |
| Baseball | National team | Beat Japan 3-1 in the final for a fifth straight title |
| Women’s handball | National team | Beat Japan 27-23 in the final round-robin match for the first gold in eight years |
| Women’s sabre team (fencing) | National team | Beat Japan 45-31 in the final |
| Equestrian dressage, individual | Nam Dong-heon | Gold on September 27 |
| Skateboarding, men’s street | Kang Jun-i | Korea’s first Asian Games gold in skateboarding |
Golds also came in teqball, swimming, pistol shooting, esports, epee fencing and basketball. On September 27 alone, Korea added five golds, in baseball, women’s handball, women’s sabre, equestrian and skateboarding.
Silver and Bronze Medals
| Medal | Event | Athlete / Team |
|---|---|---|
| 🥈 Silver | Men’s epee team (fencing) | National team |
| 🥈 Silver | Women’s synchronized 3m springboard (diving) | Kim Su-ji, Kim Na-hyeon |
| 🥈 Silver | Women’s 200m breaststroke (swimming) | Park Si-eun (2:22.69, a Korean record) |
| 🥈 Silver | Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and more (swimming) | Men’s relay team, Kim Jun-woo |
| 🥉 Bronze | Men’s high jump (athletics) | Woo Sang-hyeok (2.22m, his third straight Asian Games medal) |
| 🥉 Bronze | Men’s synchronized 10m platform (diving) | Shin Jeong-hwi, Kim Yeong-taek |
| 🥉 Bronze | Esports, Pokémon Unite | National team |
| 🥉 Bronze | Men’s 200m breaststroke (swimming) | Jo Seong-jae (third by 0.01 seconds) |
| 🥉 Bronze | Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay (swimming) | National team |
| 🥉 Bronze | Soft tennis team events | Kim Yeon-hwa (women), Kim Jin-ung (men) |
Key Issues, Big and Small
- Men’s 400m relay reinstated on appeal: The team was disqualified in the September 27 heats, but an appeal was accepted and it earned a place in the final. The final is scheduled for 10:23 p.m. on September 28.
- Baseball revenge against Japan: Korea tied the final in the seventh inning and took the lead with a go-ahead hit in the eighth to win 3-1 and claim a fifth straight Asian Games title.
- World record in compound archery mixed team: Park Jeong-yun and Choi Yong-hui put every arrow in the center of the target against Japan in the round of 16, scoring 160 points for a world record.
- Typhoon risk: Typhoon Surigae, the season’s 26th, is moving south of Japan, raising concerns about schedule disruptions for events such as surfing and sailing.
- Esports leaves the program: eToday reported that esports will be dropped from the Asian Games as an official sport after this edition.
- Stained gold medal swapped: Herald Business reported that organizers visited an athlete’s lodging at night to replace a gold medal that had developed stains.
What to Watch Next
| Event | Athlete | What to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Badminton, women’s singles | Ahn Se-young | Beat Chen Yufei 2-0 (21-5, 21-12) in the September 28 semifinal to reach the final. She faces Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi on September 29 and would be the first woman to win back-to-back Asian Games singles titles |
| Badminton, women’s doubles | Baek Ha-na, Lee So-hee | Beat Japan in the September 28 semifinal to reach the final |
| Badminton, men’s singles | Yu Tae-bin | eToday described it as Korea’s first men’s singles medal in 16 years |
| Shooting, women’s 25m pistol | Yang Ji-in, Oh Ye-jin, Bong Seo-rin | Yang led the precision stage on September 27 with 292 points, and Korea was first in the team standings at the midpoint |
| Esports, League of Legends | Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) and others | Starts September 29. Korea plays group matches against Taiwan, India and Hong Kong on September 30, seeking a second straight title with China absent |
| Traditional strengths | Archery, taekwondo, golf | Archery is aiming for a sweep, and golf is targeting four golds across individual and team events |
Good to Know
- Medal counts vary by the time of tally. This post uses figures as of 6 a.m. on September 28, which may change as events continue.
- Gold medals come first in the ranking. A country with more total medals can still rank lower if it has fewer golds.
- Results from the evening of September 28 are not included. For the relay final and other late events, check the official Games site or news alerts.
- Schedules may change. Weather such as typhoons could force adjustments to some events.
In sum, Korea has a green light toward its goal of a third straight third-place finish. It won golds against host Japan in baseball, women’s handball and women’s sabre, while canoe, gymnastics and 3×3 basketball produced new records and first-ever titles. Ahn Se-young’s final leads the second half, and traditional strengths such as archery, taekwondo, golf and League of Legends are still to come, so all eyes are on whether the gold medal run continues.
References
- eToday — Today’s (Sep. 28) Key Schedule for Korean Athletes [Asian Games] (etoday.co.kr)
- Seoul Economic Daily — Asian Games at the Halfway Point: Korea Sees a Green Light for a Third Straight Third-Place Finish (sedaily.com)
- Financial News — Chen Yufei Shut Out in 38 Minutes; Ahn Se-young Reaches the Final [Nagoya AG] (fnnews.com)
- News1 — Ahn Se-young One Step From First Women’s Singles Back-to-Back Title; Final vs. Yamaguchi (news1.kr)
- TSN KOREA — Ahn Se-young Dominates Chen Yufei and Advances; One Win From a Historic Back-to-Back (tsnkoreanews.com)
- Sports Kyunghyang — Heating Up: Asian Games Esports, and Now It Is League of Legends’ Turn (sports.khan.co.kr)
- Olympics.com — Asian Games: All Medalists From the Korean Delegation (olympics.com)