Park Tae-hwan knocked out in 200m freestyle heats

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan was knocked out in the heats in the 200m freestyle at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Sunday.Park finished last among eight swimmers in the sixth and final heat at Olympic Aquatics Stadium in 1:48.06. Conor Dwyer of the United States won the heat in 1:45.95.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldPark was 29th overall among 47 swimmers. The top 16 moved on to the semifinals, led by Sun Yang of China at 1:45.75.Park had won a silver in the 200m free at each of the past two

Olympic GamesAug. 8, 2016

Once aspiring president, South Korean judoka embraces 1st Olympic medal

South Korean judoka Jeong Bo-kyeong once dreamed of becoming a president, for no other reason than that she wanted to be different from her friends.Today, she may not be the president -- yet -- but she certainly is different from those around her.She can call herself an Olympic medalist.Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald"Who knows, maybe this silver medal may help my presidential bid," Jeong quipped at a press conference for the Korean media at the Korea House, the main support center during the Rio

Olympic GamesAug. 8, 2016

Sabre fencer looking to defend gold

Of the 13 gold medals that South Korea grabbed at the 2012 London Olympics, the title by Kim Ji-yeon in women's individual sabre fencing just might have been the most surprising.Kim came out of nowhere to stun the reigning world champion, Sofiya Velikaya of Russia, in the final. And in Rio on Monday, Kim will be out to prove her victory wasn't a fluke. (Yonhap)In women's archery, Ki Bo-bae begins her own quest for a title defense in the individual event. No female archer has won back-to-back Oly

Olympic GamesAug. 8, 2016

Korea holds cultural events in Brazil to promote PyeongChang Olympics

Korea held various cultural events on Copacabana Beach on Saturday to promote the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Korea has been working to boost the profile of its alpine city of PyeongChang to people around the world who have flocked to Rio de Janeiro for the ongoing Summer Olympics. (Yonhap)During the opening ceremony of a promotion center named the PyeongChang 2018 House in Rio, Korea's culture minister Kim Jong-deok urged locals and tourists to meet again in the snowy fields of PyeongChang

SportsAug. 7, 2016

20-something friends team up for 1st Olympic gold in archery

You don't always have to like your teammates to win in sports, but it wouldn't hurt to enjoy each other's company when you're competing for an Olympic medal.On the South Korean men's archery team, the affection that Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun feel for each other is genuine. And while they possess world-class skills, their teamwork played no small part in their winning the team gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThey're all around t

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

South Korean coach behind Vietnam's 1st Olympic gold

Behind Vietnam's first-ever Olympic gold medal was a South Korean coach of the past two years.(Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)Hoang Xuan Vinh captured the men's 10m air pistol title at the Olympic Shooting Centre at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games on Saturday, ending the country's six-decade drought.The 41-year-old military officer has been coached by South Korea's Park Chung-gun since the end of the 2014 Asian Games.Park told Yonhap News Agency that he often took his Vietnamese shooters to his

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

Korean footballers not afraid of facing tall Germans

Korean Olympic footballers on Saturday said they are not afraid of Germany's height advantage that can present potential threats on set pieces.Korea will take on Germany at 4 p.m. Sunday in the second Group C match at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic football tournament at Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, some 1,600 kilometers north of Rio.Korea are currently the leaders in the group after beating Fiji 8-0, while Germany played Mexico to a 2-2 draw. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldGermany's strength in the

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

First gold comes from men's archery; Judoka takes surprise silver

South Korea wasted little time picking up its first gold of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, as the men's archery team came out on top on the first day of the competition Saturday.The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun defeated the United States team of Brady Ellison, Zach Garrett and Jake Kaminski by the set score of 6-0 at Sambodromo. It was South Korea's fifth Olympic gold in the men's team archery event and avenged its loss to the Americans in the semifinals at the 2012 London Ol

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

Judoka Jeong Bo-kyeong wins silver for S. Korea's first medal in Rio

Judoka Jeong Bo-kyeong won silver for South Korea's first medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday.Jeong lost to Paula Pareto of Argentina in the final of the women's -48kg at Carioca Arena 2 in Rio.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldJeong's medal came after South Korean contenders in other sports fell by the wayside earlier Saturday. Shooter Jin Jong-oh finished fifth in the men's 10m air pistol, where he was the defending Olympic gold medalist. Swimmer Park Tae-hwan failed to qualify for th

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh finishes 5th in 10m air pistol

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh finished a disappointing fifth in the men's 10m air pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday, coming up empty-handed in a bid for history.The defending Olympic champion was eliminated in the eight-man final after 14 out of a maximum 20 shots, with 139.8 points at Olympic Shooting Centre.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldHe was trying to become the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in the 10m air pistol, and also the first South Korean athlete to win

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

Korea looking to exploit Germans' weaknesses in football showdown

On the eve of his Olympic football showdown against Germany, South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong said Saturday the key will be to exploit the opponents' weaknesses.South Korea and Germany will clash at 4 p.m. Sunday in the second Group C match at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic football tournament at Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, some 1,600 kilometers north of Rio.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldAt the same venue on Thursday, South Korea pounded Fiji 8-0, while Germany played Mexico to a 2-2 draw.These res

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

Men's archery team wins S. Korea's first gold in Rio

The South Korean men's archery team won the country's first gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday.The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun defeated the United States team of Brady Ellison, Zach Garrett and Jake Kaminski by the set score of 6-0 at Sambodromo.This was South Korea's fifth gold medal in the men's team event, after 1988, 2000, 2004 and 2008.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldSouth Korea is going for an unprecedented gold medal sweep in archery in Rio. The que

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

Badminton star arrives in Rio, eyes men's doubles gold

South Korean badminton hero Lee Yong-dae arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday for his third Olympics, with his sights set on winning his second career gold medal."In Rio, I can feel the Olympic vibe in the air," Lee said after flying in from his Toronto training camp to Galeao International Airport. "It puts me in a different mindset." (Yonhap)Lee and Yoo Yeon-seong are the world No. 1 in men's doubles.Though he's just 27, Lee is mulling retirement from international play after Rio, and he'd li

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

South Korean epee fencer loses chance at redemption

South Korean epee fencer Shin A-lam lost her first match at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday, blowing a chance at redemption after a controversial elimination at the previous Summer Games.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldShin fell to Olena Kryvytska of Ukraine 15-14 in the round of 32 at Carioca Arena 3.At the 2012 London Olympics, Shin lost to Britta Heidemann of Germany in the semifinals, after a timekeeping error cost her a clinching point in overtime and a spot in the final. Shin later c

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan eliminated in 400m freestyle

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan was eliminated from the heats in the 400m freestyle at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday, falling short in a bid to win a medal in three consecutive Summer Games.Park, who won the 2008 Olympic gold and then 2012 Olympic silver in that event, finished 10th overall in the heats in 3:45.63, missing out on the final open to the top-eight qualifiers.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldConor Dwyer of the United States was the top qualifier in 3:43.42.Park entered the

Olympic GamesAug. 7, 2016

Olympics' appeal tested in grim world

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Even if only for two weeks, can "Faster-Higher-Stronger" overpower deadlier, scarier and bloodier? Can the Olympic Games still offer the world momentary levity, distract from terror, shootings, poverty and other worries in globally grim times? If not, what use is the multibillion-dollar celebration of youthful endeavor and mostly niche sports? Olympic fans gather next to the Olympic rings on Copacabana beach ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday

Olympic GamesAug. 5, 2016