Korea targets 45 gold medals at Asian Games, with prime opportunities in fencing, swimming and pentathlon
Women's modern pentathlete Seong Seung-min is favored to deliver the country's first gold as the team looks to take home significant hardware from Aichi-Nagoya.
Sports officials and athletes pose for a photo at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 launch ceremony held at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong, on Sept. 3.
YONHAP
Korea is expected to begin its gold medal campaign at the upcoming Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with the women's modern pentathlon on the first day of competition, an analysis showed Tuesday.
The quadrennial Asian sports event, to take place on Japanese soil for the first time in 32 years, will begin its official 16-day run on Saturday, with 469 gold medals in 43 sports up for grabs.
Korea will send more than 1,000 athletes and officials in 41 sports to the Asian Games, targeting up to 45 gold medals.
According to an analysis by Yonhap News Agency, Korea should be favored to win its first gold medal when Seong Seung-min competes in the women's modern pentathlon on Sunday, the first day of the Games.
Seong won the 2024 World Modern Pentathlon Championships to become the first Korean woman to win a world title in the event. And at the Paris Summer Olympics later that year, she became the first Asian female pentathlete to win an Olympic medal.
Multiple gold medals are expected in swimming starting Monday, with Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo leading Korea's medal hopes in the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay and 200-meter freestyle.
Fencer Song Se-ra is eyeing two gold medals in the individual and team épée events from next Tuesday to Friday, while two-time reigning Olympic champion Oh Sang-uk is set to seek the same feat in the men's individual and team sabre events from next Wednesday to Saturday.
On next Friday, shooters and swimmers could add several gold medals to Korea's gold medal tally in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event, men's 200-meter breaststroke and men's 400-meter freestyle.
The baseball team will play its final game on Sept. 27, seeking its fifth consecutive Asian Games gold medal, while the women's handball gold medal will also be decided on the same day.
Three gold medals could come from badminton on Sept. 29, with world champion An Se-young and the doubles team of Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee among Korea's top contenders.
In October, Korea will have further gold medal opportunities in archery, judo, esports, taekwondo and sport climbing.
Yonhap
