Shooting, taekwondo each deliver 2 golds

Archer Kim Jong-ho, judoka Heo Mi-mi also top podium

South Korea holds 3rd overall with 30 gold medals

Kim Jong-ho of South Korea celebrates after winning gold in the men's EMC individual archery final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Okazaki Central General Park multipurpose plaza in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Kim Jong-ho of South Korea celebrates after winning gold in the men's EMC individual archery final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Okazaki Central General Park multipurpose plaza in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday. [Yonhap]

South Korea claimed six gold medals in a single day at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games — the country's highest single-day haul of the competition.

The medals came from shooting and taekwondo, two each, with archery and judo contributing one apiece, accelerating South Korea's push in the final stretch of the Games.

In shooting, Song Jong-ho, Lee Geon-hyeok and Yun Seo-yeong combined for 1,749 points in the men's 25-meter rapid-fire pistol team event to edge out China and claim gold. Lee then won the individual event as well, taking a double at the Games. It was the first time South Korea had swept both the individual and team titles in the discipline since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, a 12-year gap.

In archery, Kim Jong-ho won gold in the men's EMC individual final, defeating Chang Cheng-wei of Taiwan 149-145. It was the first time a South Korean male athlete had won the EMC individual event at the Asian Games.

South Korea swept both the men's and women's gold medals in taekwondo poomsae. Jeong Ha-eun won the women's individual title and Yun Gyu-seong the men's, extending South Korea's dominance in the discipline.

In judo, Heo Mi-mi defeated Mongolia's Ariunzaya Terbish in the women's 57-kilogram final to deliver South Korea's first judo gold of the Games. A silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Heo also claimed the top of the podium at the Asian Games.

The six golds on Thursday brought South Korea's total to 30, keeping the country in third place overall behind China and Japan. More medals remain within reach. The League of Legends esports team advanced to the final after defeating Saudi Arabia and will face Taiwan on Friday, bidding for a second consecutive Asian Games title.


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