[Asian Games] S. Korea grabs 3 archery golds

South Korea picked up three more gold medals in archery at the Asian Games on Sunday, reasserting its dominance in the sport after its men’s recurve team earlier failed to clinch its ninth straight Asiad title.

In the women’s recurve team final, Jung Dasomi, Chang Hye-jin and Lee Tuk-young cruised to a comfortable 6-0 win over China’s Cheng Ming, Xu Jing and Zhu Jueman.

China put up a feeble defense against the stalwart South Koreans, shooting a 7 and an 8 with no 10s in the first set. It managed only two 10s throughout the event against South Korea’s eight, handing the victory to the host nation, which was favored to win.

In the women’s individual final, Jung beat her compatriot, Chang, 7-1 to defend her country’s third Asiad title in the discipline.

Jung pounded Chang with perfect 10s from the outset, while Chang struggled to keep up. They tied in the second set, but Jung continued to steamroll Chang with more 10s in the third and fourth sets to emerge as the eventual winner.

In the men’s individual final, reigning Olympic champion Oh Jin-hyek eked out a 6-4 victory over China’s Yong Zhiwei to extend the host nation’s winning streak to three.

Oh struggled to find his form in the first two sets, shooting all 9s against Yong’s five 10s and a 9. But he quickly gained control in the third set, shooting perfect 10s against Yong’s 8, 9 and 10. Yong continued to falter in the following two sets, eventually handing Oh the top podium spot.

Oh’s victory salvages the host nation’s reputation as the recurve archery powerhouse, which was dealt a blow when the South Korean men’s recurve team lost to China 5-4 in the semis. The defeat snapped South Korea’s winning streak in the discipline at eight.

Sunday’s match brings South Korea’s archery medal tally to five golds, three silvers and a bronze. South Korea had earlier picked up two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze in compound archery.


S. Korea takes bowling gold

South Korea captured the gold and the bronze in the women’s trios bowling event at the Asian Games on Sunday, bringing home the country’s second gold from the sport.

The squad of Lee Na-young, Jung Da-wun and Son Yun-hee combined for 3,896 points to defeat the Singaporean team of Cherie Tan, New Hui Fen and Jazreel Tan by a margin of 143 points at Anyang Hogye Gymnasium in the city of Anyang, just south of the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Another South Korean team of Lee Yeong-seung, Jeon Eun-hee and Kim Jin-sun picked up the bronze medal with 3,692 points.

Throughout the competition comprised of six games, the gold-winning South Korean team maintained a substantial lead, with Lee Na-young contributing the most to the achievement with 1,361 points.


S. Korea wins medals in race walk

South Korea took bronzes in both the men’s and women’s 20-kilometer race walk Saturday, bagging its first medals in track and field at the Incheon Asian Games.

Kim Hyun-sub came in third in the men’s 20 km race walk held at the race walking course in the southern part of this port city, after clocking in at 1:21:37.

It is his third Asiad bronze in the event after the 2006 Doha Asian Games and 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

China’s Wang Zhen won the gold medal after recording 1:19:45, followed by Yusuke Suzuki of Japan.

Jeon Yeong-eun also picked up the bronze in the women’s event held later on Sunday, after clocking in at 1:33:18.

It is the host country’s first Asiad medal in the women’s 20 km race walk event.

The gold and the silver were given to China’s Lu Xiuzhi and India’s Khushbir Kaur, respectively.

South Korea had set a goal to snatch 18 medals, including three golds, in track and field in Incheon, with sprinter Kim Kuk-young aiming for the country’s first Asiad gold in the men’s 100-meter dash. 


Jang nabs gold in cycling

South Korean cyclist Jang Kyung-gu won the gold medal in the men’s road race at the Incheon Asian Games on Sunday.

After racing 13 laps of the 14-kilometer road track of the Songdo Road Cycling Course for a total 182 km in the port city, Jang came in first among 48 racers from 26 countries after clocking in at 4:07:52.

The silver and bronze went to Iran’s Moazami Godazi and Hong Kong’s Leung Chun Wing, respectively. 


Women’s handball team makes final

The South Korean women’s handball team cruised to the final of the Incheon Asian Games after defeating Kazakhstan 41-30 on Sunday.

South Korean captain Woo Sun-hee scored 10 goals to help her country in the semifinal held at Seonhak Handball Gymnasium in this port city.

Kazakhstan hung tough for the first 15 minutes and the teams were tied at 9-9 early. Then South Korea poured in five unanswered goals to take the lead at 14-9 and finished the first half at 20-16.


S. Korean women’s handball team reaches final

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― The South Korean women’s handball team cruised to the final of the Incheon Asian Games after defeating Kazakhstan 41-30 on Sunday.

South Korean captain Woo Sun-hee scored 10 goals to help her country in the semifinal held at Seonhak Handball Gymnasium in this port city.

Kazakhstan hung tough for the first 15 minutes and the teams were tied at 9-9 early. Then South Korea poured in five unanswered goals to take the lead at 14-9 and finished the first half at 20-16. (Yonhap)