Gamagori:South Korea's Ha Jee-min claimed his fourth Asian Games gold medal in men's sailing, winning the men's dinghy event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ha's victory marked South Korea's first sailing gold in the ongoing competition. Halliday Nicholas Bezy of Hong Kong secured the silver medal, while Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy of Malaysia took home the bronze.
In the dinghy event, sailors earn points corresponding to their finishing positions in each race of the opening series. After nine races, the top ten sailors advance to a two-race final, with their worst race score excluded. Ha led the leaderboard after the opening series and advanced to the final, where he finished third and sixth in the two races, securing nine points without penalties. Halliday finished first and third in the final races, accumulating 11 points, including seven penalty points.
Ha expressed that this gold medal was particularly meaningful as it demonstrated his continued competitiveness on the international stage. At 37 years old, he had questioned his abilities but felt reassured by this achievement. "This medal excites me far more than my previous medals," he stated. Ha's victory also earned South Korea a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, allowing him to plan his training for the next two years.
In the mixed dinghy category, the South Korean team of Kim Chang-ju and Lee Gyeong-jin earned a silver medal, trailing the Japanese team by five points. After ten races, Kim and Lee scored 20 net points, while the Japanese team finished with 15 points. China secured the bronze medal with 29 points.