(Asiad) S. Korea looking to hit ground running on 1st day of medal events

South Korea will look to start winning medals left and right Sunday when the medal race for the 19th Asian Games begins in and around the Chinese host city of Hangzhou.

With its Asiad-record delegation of 1,140 athletes and officials in action, South Korea has set out to grab 40 to 50 gold medals and finish third in the medal table, behind China and Japan.

South Korea could make its presence felt right away Sunday, with medals expected from multiple sports.

The first gold could come from the women's modern pentathlon. Kim Se-hee and Kim Sun-woo, the individual silver and bronze medalists from 2018, will try to improve on their performances this time.

Male pentathletes will take the field later Sunday, as the reigning Asian Games champion Jun Woong-tae goes for his second straight individual gold medal.

Elsewhere, Kang Wan-jin and Cha Yea-eun will compete in the men's and women's taekwondo poomsae, a demonstration discipline for the traditional Korean martial art.

In judo, An Baul will look to defend his gold in the men's 66-kilogram event.

Swimmer Hwang Sun-woo will enter his first event, the men's 100-meter freestyle, on Sunday, with the hometown favorite, Pan Zhanle of China, expected to push the South Korean star.

In fencing, the reigning world champion in women's epee, Song Se-ra, will try to add an Asian Games gold to her resume.

The men's football team will close out Group E play against Bahrain on Sunday, having already clinched a knockout berth following two consecutive wins.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in could make his Asian Games debut, after missing the two previous matches due to his club commitments in France.

With a ticket to the round of 16 already booked, the Bahrain match should allow head coach Hwang Sun-hong to experiment with different lineup combinations with Lee finally in the fold.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

scroll to top