Men's and women's teams win their first titles in 12 years, while men's 3x3 adds historic first gold
For the first time in history, South Korea won a record three basketball gold medals at the Asian Games, taking both 5-on-5 titles and the men’s 3x3 crown in Japan.
The final gold came on Saturday, with the women’s 5-on-5 team holding off host Japan 75-70 in Nagoya. The men’s team beat Japan 67-57 in the finals on Sept. 20. The men’s 3x3 team also clinched its first Asian Games gold on Wednesday, while the women’s 3x3 side took bronze for its first medal in the event.
After leaving the 2023 Hangzhou Games without a basketball gold, Korea took home four medals, making the sport one of its biggest sources of medals at this year’s Games.
The women’s side had a tough road to gold. Head coach Park Soo-ho had just 11 players, with stars Park Ji-su and Park Ji-hyun both absent. Korea still beat China 85-80 in the semifinals, denying the defending champion a shot at a third straight title. China boasted a younger squad without veterans Han Xu and Li Yueru, but had 19-year-old, 2.23-meter-tall Zhang Ziyu on its roster.
Korea entered the final after losing its last seven games to longtime rival Japan. But to everyone’s surprise, the team led Japan by 19 points at halftime. Japan cut the lead to two with 15 seconds left, but captain Kang Yi-seul sank two free throws to help Korea hold on for its first women’s basketball gold in 12 years. Kang finished with 21 points, while Lee So-hee added 16.
“I know that people worried we didn’t have enough players, but the team pulled together and showed what it could do,” coach Park told reporters after the game. “That gave me confidence that we can make the most of the players we have, even when some are not there.”
With Heo Ye-eun, Kang Yi-seul, Lee Hae-ran and Lee So-hee leading the way, Korea played fast, shared the ball and shot confidently from long range throughout the tournament.
On the men’s side, Korea has lagged behind Asia’s leading basketball nations over the past decade. After winning gold on home soil at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, it took bronze at Jakarta-Palembang in 2018. Five years later in Hangzhou, Korea bowed out in the quarterfinals and finished seventh — its worst-ever result.
Korea also entered the tournament with several challenges, including injuries and late arrivals. In particular, Choi Jun-yong’s late arrival meant coach Nikolajs Mazurs did not have his full squad available during the group stage.
But the men’s team went unbeaten in six games under Mazurs. They beat Iran 77-51 in the semifinals, then faced Japan for the second time in the tournament. Ace player Lee Hyun-jung led Korea with 27 points and 18 rebounds in the 67-57 final, securing the men’s first gold in 12 years.
The men’s 3x3 team, made up largely of college players, beat Qatar 19-10 to win their first gold in the event. The victory gave Korea its 13th gold of these Games and its 800th in Asian Games history.
In particular, the team’s four college players — Yonsei University guard Lee Ju-young and forward Kim Seung-woo, Korea University forward Lee Dong-geun and Sungkyunkwan University’s Ku Min-gyo — led Korea to victory.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
