Bows, guns and swords: South Korea's weapons of choice in war for 40 Asian Games golds

NAGOYA, Japan — Let the games begin, and perhaps with a few gold medals, too.

A 122-member main contingent arrived in Nagoya, Japan on Thursday and moved into the athletes’ village at Garden Pier in Nagoya Port to give it their all during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, which will open on Saturday and run through Oct. 4.

“Bows, guns and swords” have become a defining feature of South Korea’s performances at recent major international multisport events. The numbers from the 2024 Paris Olympics show why: 10 of South Korea’s 13 gold medals came from archery, shooting and fencing.

The women’s archery team looks completely different after national trials that are often described as “more difficult than the Olympic finals.”

Archer Lim Si-hyeon, who swept three gold medals at both the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and Paris Olympics, failed to qualify. Three-time 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion An San also missed the cut. Kang Chae-young, a team gold medalist at both the Tokyo Olympics and Hangzhou Asian Games, is the experienced hand on the new-look team.

The men’s side is more familiar. The trio of South Korean archers — Kim Woo-jin, Lee Woo-seok and Kim Je-deok — all held onto their places.

Kim Woo-jin, who has won three gold medals in Paris, has topped the latest national trials and will try to win an individual Asian Games title for the first time in eight years. His toughest competition may come from his own teammates, Lee and Kim Je-deok.

South Korea wants all five recurve titles and hopes to add another one or two in compound archery, which uses mechanically assisted bows.

The shooting team also has plenty of reasons for confidence. The fearless teenage shooters who won gold in Paris — Ban Hyo-jin, Oh Ye-jin and Yang Ji-in — returned with their eyes on the prize. The battle for places among South Korea’s women in pistol and rifle is particularly fierce.

Shooter Park Ha-jun, who won South Korea’s first medal in Paris with a silver, is also among the contenders for gold in the 10-meter air rifle. The Asian Games include team shooting events as well, which gives South Korea more chances to add to its medal total.

Fencing has long been one of South Korea’s strongest Asian Games sports. Unlike the Olympics, the Asian Games feature team events in all three weapons — épée, sabre and foil. South Korea won six fencing golds at the previous Games — half of the titles on offer.

Two-time Paris Olympic champion Oh Sang-uk is back in the men’s sabre, along with Song Se-ra,  who won gold in women’s épée during the 2026 World Championship in Hong Kong.

Badminton world No. 1 An Se-young is going after a second straight Asian Games women’s singles title. Reuters named her one of the six athletes to watch at the Games.

The badminton star was out for nearly a month after an injury in July but has not lost since her return. World No. 1 men’s doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho are also among the favorites for gold.

South Korea’s swimmers will compete in Tokyo and want to improve on their results from Hangzhou. They won six gold, six silver and 10 bronze medals in swimming at the previous Games. Three-time Hangzhou champion Kim Woo-min and two-time champion Hwang Sun-woo will again be central to South Korea’s hopes.

Table tennis star Shin Yu-bin is aiming for a medal in all four events she enters: women’s singles, women’s doubles, the team event and mixed doubles.

Gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong will try to win Asian Games gold again after eight years. She is expected to face North Korea’s An Chang-ok in the women’s vault. Japan-born Korean judoka Huh Mi-mi will make her Asian Games debut.

The baseball team is chasing a fifth straight title and is counting on third baseman Kim Do-yeong, who decided to compete despite a fractured nose.

The men’s football team wants a fourth consecutive gold, with nine Europe-based players at the core of the squad. South Korea’s men’s basketball team has also cruised into the final.

BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [[email protected]]