The Korean athletics team has completed its journey at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
The team finished with three medals, one silver and two bronze. While this was down from the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games (1 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze) and the 2014 Incheon Games (4 silver, 6 bronze), there were discoveries that could be the future of Korean athletics.
Initially, the Korean Athletics Federation targeted five medals (gold, silver, bronze). In the men’s triple jump final (day 3), where they were predicted to finish second or third, Yoo Gyu-min (22, Iksan City Office) finished fifth and Kim Jang-woo (24, Jangheung County Office) finished seventh.
Yoo and Kim were both highly touted at this year’s Asian Indoor and Outdoor Championships, where they finished third and fourth, respectively. 안전토토사이트
In the five-day marathon, Choi Kyung-sun (31, Jecheon City Hall) finished sixth in the women’s race and Shim Jong-seop (32, KEPCO) and Park Min-ho (24, Kolon) finished seventh and 11th in the men’s race, respectively.
Despite not achieving the expected results, there was plenty to chew on.
Woo Sang-hyuk (27-Yongin City Hall), who was considered the closest Korean athlete to the top in Asia, settled for silver after failing to clear 2.35 meters in the high jump final on Thursday.
The height of 2.35 meters was surpassed by Woo when he became the first Korean to win the Diamond League Final about two weeks ago.
Considering that Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) also cleared 2.35m on the day, it will be interesting to see how he fares in Paris next year.
The men’s 400m relay team of Kim Kook-young (32-Gwangju City Hall), Lee Jung-tae (27-Anyang City Hall), Lee Jae-sung (22-Korea Gymnastics Federation) and Ko Seung-hwan (26-Gwangju City Hall), a living legend of Korean sprinting, tied the Korean record on day three (38.74) and earned a medal (third) in the event for the first time in 37 years.
Kim Kook-young, who won his first medal as a member of the team at the last Asian Games, said, “The talented juniors will soon set new records. I am hopeful that we will continue to win medals in relay events and individual medalists in the short distance events.”
In addition, the youngest member of the track and field team, Kim Tae-hee (18, Erie Public High School), won a bronze medal in the women’s hammer throw final on March 29.
It was the team’s first medal of the Games and Korea’s first Asian Games medal in the event.
An official from the Korean Athletics Federation said, “We saw that Kim Tae-hee had excellent skills, but we didn’t expect a bronze medal.
It’s a talent we need to nurture in the future.”
He also said, “We have developed young athletes with regret, and we need to change the generation in the future.
The young players are playing well now,” he added.
South Korea finished 14th overall in athletics. China led the way with 39 medals (19 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze), followed by Bahrain (16, 10 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze), which won all of its medals in track and field thanks to naturalized athletes in the middle and long distance categories.
Japan (2 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze) finished fifth.