South Korea's golden chuseok: Yeo, An and Woo eye medals over holiday break

Yeo Seo-jeong, An Se-young to hunt gold on first day of holiday

Song Se-ra, Oh Sang-uk lead fencing charge

Shin Yu-bin, Lim Jong-hun target mixed doubles title

Woo Sang-hyeok chases first Asian Games gold

Yeo Seo-jeong of South Korea performs on the balance beam during the women's artistic gymnastics individual all-around final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Nagoya City General Gymnasium on Tuesday. [Newsis]

South Korea's athletes are set to launch a full-scale gold medal push at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games over the chuseok holiday. From gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong and shuttler An Se-young to fencers Song Se-ra and Oh Sang-uk, table tennis pair Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hun, high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok and the national baseball team, gold medal contenders are lined up across all four days of the holiday, from Thursday through Sunday.

On Thursday, the first day of the holiday, gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong of Jecheon City Hall opens the charge. She will compete in the women's vault final at Nagoya City General Gymnasium.

Yeo won gold in vault at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games but skipped the Hangzhou edition to focus on the world championships, where a Paris Olympics team berth was on the line. Now back at the Asian Games after an eight-year absence, she is targeting a return to the top. She advanced to the final in first place on Tuesday, scoring 14.466 points to edge out North Korea's An Chang-ok (13.900), raising expectations ahead of the final.

A gold medal could also come from the women's badminton team event on Thursday. Led by An Se-young of Samsung Life Insurance, South Korea defeated Malaysia 3-1 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. If they get past Japan in the semifinals on Wednesday, they will contest the final at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, bidding for back-to-back titles following their Hangzhou triumph. An is also chasing a second consecutive Asian Games title in the women's singles event.

On Friday — chuseok itself — fencing takes center stage. The women's épée team, spearheaded by Song Se-ra of Busan Metropolitan City Hall, will go for back-to-back gold in the team event. Song already claimed the individual title on Tuesday and has her sights set on a double at these games.

An Se-young of South Korea attacks Rekhana Karupathevan during the women's badminton team event quarterfinal against Malaysia at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

In swimming, the men's 400-meter freestyle — Kim Woo-min's signature event — is scheduled for Friday. Kim won gold in the event at the Hangzhou Asian Games and is preparing to compete, though a left shoulder injury remains a concern.

The baseball team, anchored by Kim Do-young of the KIA Tigers, also enters the super round on Friday for two days of competition. South Korea has won gold in baseball at four consecutive Asian Games, from the 2010 Guangzhou edition through Hangzhou. Advancing through the super round would set up a bid for a fifth straight title in the final on Sunday.

Saturday brings the men's sabre team event, one of South Korea's flagship fencing disciplines. Oh Sang-uk of Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall and Do Gyeong-dong of Daegu Metropolitan City Hall are among those set to compete, aiming to extend the team's gold medal streak to four consecutive titles dating back to the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

Table tennis is another source of gold medal hope. The mixed doubles pair of Lim Jong-hun of Korea Exchange and Shin Yu-bin of Korean Air begin their mixed doubles campaign on Wednesday, with the final scheduled for Saturday if they advance. The two won bronze together in the event at the Hangzhou Asian Games and are now aiming for the top of the podium.

Shin has already secured a medal in the women's team event. The South Korean women's team beat Singapore 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday to reach the semifinals. With no bronze medal match in table tennis team events, the semifinal berth guarantees at least a bronze.

The final day of the holiday, Sunday, is packed with marquee contests. High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok of Yongin City Hall will leap for his first Asian Games gold medal.

Woo Sang-hyeok of Yongin City Hall clears 2.23 meters in the first attempt during the high jump final at the 2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships at Gumi Citizens' Stadium in North Gyeongsang Province last May. [Yonhap]

Woo finished 10th at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games before claiming silver at both the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou editions. Having fallen just short of gold at two consecutive games, he is determined to finally claim the title this time. World-class rival Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar is also entered in the event.

The women's handball team plays its final pool-stage match against Japan at 6 p.m. Sunday. As final standings are decided entirely by pool results, the head-to-head clash between South Korea and Japan is in effect a gold medal decider. South Korea lost to Japan in Hangzhou and had to settle for silver; it is now seeking revenge and a return to the top for the first time in eight years.

If the baseball team reaches the final, it will also contest its match at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, chasing a fifth consecutive title. Medal contention continues in events including the women's singles in table tennis.

The four-day chuseok holiday from Thursday through Sunday marks a pivotal stretch in South Korea's medal campaign at the midpoint of the games. Gold medal hopefuls appear every day — gymnastics and badminton on Thursday, fencing and swimming on Friday, sabre and table tennis on Saturday, and athletics, handball and baseball on Sunday. All eyes are on the golden chuseok gifts South Korea's athletes can send home.

yjc@heraldcorp.com