(Asian Games) S. Korea picks up 3 gold medals in fencing, taekwondo

August 20, 2018

JAKARTA, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) — South Korea arrived in Jakarta with an eye on eight gold medals in fencing at the 18th Asian Games. After getting shut out on Sunday, the team claimed two gold medals on the piste on Monday.

Jeon Hee-sook and Gu Bon-gil won the women’s foil and the men’s sabre individual titles on Day 2 of the Asian Games. It was Jeon’s second straight gold and Gu’s third in a row.

South Korean sabre fencer Gu Bon-gil (R) is congratulated by his teammate Oh Sang-uk during the medal ceremony of the men's individual sabre event at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Cendrawasih Hall in Jakarta on Aug. 20, 2018. Gu defeated Oh 15-14 in the final. (Yonhap)

South Korean sabre fencer Gu Bon-gil (R) is congratulated by his teammate Oh Sang-uk during the medal ceremony of the men’s individual sabre event at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Cendrawasih Hall in Jakarta on Aug. 20, 2018. Gu defeated Oh 15-14 in the final. (Yonhap)

Gu’s victory in the final came against his teammate Oh Sang-uk. After two days of fencing, South Korea now has two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

One other gold for South Korea on Monday came from taekwondo, where Kim Tae-hun won the men’s 58-kilogram title.

Kim had topped the men’s 54kg at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. It was also South Korea’s first gold medal from taekwondo “kyorugi” (sparring) competition at these Asian Games.

South Korea sent two other fighters to the final, but both Kim Jan-di in the women’s 67kg and Ha Min-ah in the women’s 53kg had to settle for silver.

Three gold medals on Monday raised South Korea’s total to five, good for third place behind China (15) and Japan (8), and just one ahead of host Indonesia. South Korea’s stated objective here is to claim at least 65 gold medals and finish in second place behind the powerhouse China for the sixth Asian Games in a row.

The Asian Games will wrap up on Sept. 2.

Also on Monday, the men’s football team advanced to the round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan in Bandung.

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min scored the winner for the beleaguered squad, under fire from the famously demanding and fickle fan base since their 2-1 loss to Malaysia last week.

South Korea's Kim Tae-hun celebrates his gold medal in the men's 58-kilogram division taekwondo sparring competition at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta Convention Center Plenary Hall in Jakarta on Aug. 20, 2018. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s Kim Tae-hun celebrates his gold medal in the men’s 58-kilogram division taekwondo sparring competition at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta Convention Center Plenary Hall in Jakarta on Aug. 20, 2018. (Yonhap)

South Korea, which ended up in second place in Group E, will face Iran, the Group F winners, in the round of 16 on Thursday.

There were other medals won on Monday. South Korea’s silver in the team dressage event in equestrian ended the country’s string of gold medals at five.

South Korea picked up two more bronze medals in freestyle wrestling, a day after winning a pair. On Monday, it was Kim Hyung-joo in the women’s 50kg and Nam Koung-jin in the men’s 125kg.

In Palembang, a co-host city located 430 kilometers northwest of Jakarta, South Korea got two silver and one bronze in shooting. Jung Eun-hea was second in the women’s 10-meter air rifle at Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) Shooting Range, and she was followed by Kang Gee-eun’s silver in the women’s trap and Ahn Dae-myeong’s bronze in the men’s trap.

South Korea won a swimming bronze for the second straight day, with Kang Ji-seok finishing third in the men’s 50m backstroke.

North Korea was busy collecting four gold medals on Monday, with its first two gold medals of the competition both coming from weightlifting, its traditional goldmine.

Ri Song-gum had the honor of winning the North’s first gold by taking the women’s 48kg title. Then Om Yun-chol followed suit by defending his gold in the men’s 56kg division.

Two other gold medals came from freestyle wrestling, where Pak Yong-mi (women’s 53kg) and Jong Myong-suk (women’s 57kg) were crowned champions.

North Korea trails South Korea by just one gold medal, though the South has won 24 medals in total to the North’s seven.

South Korea's Son Heung-min takes a free kick against Kyrgyzstan in the men's football Group E match of the 18th Asian Games at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, on Aug. 20, 2018. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s Son Heung-min takes a free kick against Kyrgyzstan in the men’s football Group E match of the 18th Asian Games at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, on Aug. 20, 2018. (Yonhap)