South Korea’s Nam Dong-heon Wins Gold in Asian Games Equestrian Dressage

Tokyo:South Korea's Nam Dong-heon secured the gold medal in the individual dressage event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, marking the country's first victory in this category in 12 years. According to Yonhap News Agency, Nam achieved a score of 75.190 points in the final held at Equestrian Park in Tokyo, surpassing his competitors. Yu Jiayi of China claimed the silver medal with a score of 75.050 points, while Aleksandra Maksakova of Palestine earned the bronze with 74.935 points. This victory represents South Korea's first gold in individual dressage since the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon. Nam also added to his achievements by winning a silver medal in the team dressage event earlier in the competition. Historically, South Korea dominated the individual dressage event, winning gold from 2002 to 2014, although they failed to secure any medals in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Dressage involves riders performing memorized sequences with their horses, judged on criteria such as the horse's gaits and the rider's performance. In the dressage team final, which also served as a qualifier for the individual event, Nam and his horse, Leonidas, scored 70.559 points, the highest among competitors. He later improved his score in the individual final by 0.140 point over the Chinese contender. Expressing satisfaction with his performance at his third Asian Games, Nam noted his emotional reaction to the team's success and expressed gratitude to his horse, Leonidas, for its efforts.