South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon is already considered a promising starlet with his energetic performance. And now at the Summer Games, he is trying to become a game changer for South Korean football. Kwon netted the only goal of the football match between South Korea and Mexico at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday and delivered his side a 1-0 victory. Kwon's goal also lifted South Korea to the quarterfinals in the men's Olympic football tournament as the Group C winners with two w

South Korean fencer Kim Jung-hwan isn't necessarily a fan of football, but he admires Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar for Real Madrid.It's how Ronaldo -- widely considered one of the world's very best -- has defied critics and worked his way to the top in his sport that has captivated Kim.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldWhile it's not clear how much of Ronaldo's influence helped Kim win the bronze medal in the men's individual sabre Wednesday at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Kim said he

The South Korean Olympic men's football coach on Wednesday praised his players for reaching the quarterfinals at the Rio de Janeiro Games, saying that the fans can now expect even better results. South Korea, led by coach Shin Tae-yong, edged the defending champions Mexico 1-0 in their last Group C contest in Brasilia that day to join the last eight. The young Taeguk Warriors won the group with two wins and a draw, their best group stage performance ever at the Olympics.Park Hae-mook/The Korea H

South Korean fencer Kim Jung-hwan captured bronze in the men's individual sabre at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.Kim defeated Mojtaba Abedini of Iran 15-8 in the bronze medal bout at Caroica Arena 3. Kim had gone 4-1 against Abedini in five previous meetings.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThe victory was also a measure of revenge for the South Korean team, as Abedini had knocked off South Korean Gu Bon-gil in the round of 16 earlier Wednesday.Kim's medal was South Korea's second in fen

South Korea reached the men's football quarterfinals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Mexico on Wednesday.Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon scored the winner in the 77th minute at Mane Garrincha Stadium in the Brazilian capital, sending South Korea to the knockout stage for the second straight Olympics. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldSouth Korea captured bronze at the 2012 London Games, the country's only medal in Olympic football.Needing only a draw to advance to the quarters, Sou

South Korean judoka Gwak Dong-hwan took the bronze medal in the men's -90kg at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Wednesday.Gwak defeated Marcus Nyman of Sweden in the bronze medal contest at Carioca Arena 2, earning South Korea's third medal in judo here. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldEarlier, Gwak lost to Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia in the semifinals to fall to the third-place match.Gwak, world No. 1 in his weight class, defeated Thomas Bricento of Chile in the round of 32. He then took down Popol

Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldSouth Korean sabre fencer Gu Bon-gil competed before hundreds of fans at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and with a million butterflies in his stomach.The 2012 Olympic champion in the men's sabre team event lost in the round of 16 in the individual event here, falling to Mojtaba Abedini of Iran by 15-12.It was an unexpectedly quick exit for the world No. 4, especially since Gu had never lost to Abedini in their four previous meetings.After the defeat, Gu said he tighte

The 2012 Olympic fencing gold medalist, Gu Bon-gil, was knocked out early at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.Gu lost to Mojtaba Abedini of Iran 15-12 in the round of 16 in the men's individual sabre at Carioca Arena 3. Gu helped South Korea to the team gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and was seeking his first individual Olympic medal here. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThere will be no men's sabre team event in Rio under the Olympic rotation system. There are maximum 12 events a

South Korean foil fencer Nam Hyun-hee said she felt "zero pressure" to deliver a medal when she arrived in Rio de Janeiro for her fourth Summer Olympics.She is 34 years old, only three years removed from a childbirth that cost her some valuable training time, and with younger teammates coming off Olympic medals and other international titles, Nam felt all the eyes would be on them instead. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThat explains her sense of relief following a second-round loss at the indivi

North Korean shooter Kim Song-guk took the bronze medal in the men's 50m pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, while South Korea's Jin Jong-oh won the gold.And Kim believes one Korea would have made these medals a much bigger deal. Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald"If the two become one, then we'd have one big medal at hand," Kim said at a press conference at Olympic Shooting Center, after winning North Korea's third medal at these Games. "And if we have the gold medal and the bronze medal both ca

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh captured gold in the men's 50m pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Wednesday.Jin scored an Olympic record 193.7 points in the final at Olympic Shooting Centre, rallying to defeat Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam by 2.4 points.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldJin became the first shooter, male or female, to win a single event in three consecutive Olympics.It was South Korea's fourth gold medal in Rio, and first medal of any kind in shooting. Jin had finished fifth in the

Two-time Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee took an early exit from the women's individual foil at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.Nam lost to Shiho Nishioka of Japan 15-12 in the round of 32. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldNam opened a 6-2 lead early in the second period, but Nishioka scored six straight points to build an 8-6 lead.Leading 10-8 in the final frame, the Japanese contender reeled off four consecutive points to reach the brink of a victory. Nam hung tough and closed it t

Slumping South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has pulled out of his last race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Park will not compete in the 1,500m freestyle, an official with the South Korean delegation said Wednesday, and will leave Rio on Thursday. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThe 1,500m was scheduled for Saturday.Competing in his fourth Olympics, Park failed to get out of the heats in his first three races: the 400m free, 200m free and 100m free. Park is the 2008 Olympic champion and 2012 silver

Golf will make its long-awaited return to the Olympics on Thursday, as the first round of the men's competition gets underway with two South Koreans in the field.Golf was last contested at the Olympics in 1904. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThe men's competition has lost much of its luster with the absence of the world's top four players -- Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. South Korea will be represented by two youngsters: the 24-year-old An Byeong-hun, the 2015 Europea