Some athletes at the Gwangju Universiade have moved spectators and other athletes with their indomitable spirit.They’ve overcome personal obstacles to represent their countries in international sports events -- with diseases, poverty or nationality problems not stopping them from giving stellar performances.Thomas Van der Plaetsen, star decathlete of Belgium; Fallon Forde, sprinter of Barbados; In Kyo-don, taekwondo player of the Republic of Korea; and Simon Andrew Capon, foil fencer of Australi

More SportsJuly 13, 2015

The head of the South Korean athletic delegation to the ongoing Universiade on Monday said he was delighted with the country's unexpected run to the top of the medal table.At a press conference, You Byong-jin said he was also happy to have been a part of the team that will finish first in gold medals at a competition set to conclude Tuesday in Gwangju, a metropolitan city some 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul.South Korea clinched first place with 44 gold medals won through Sunday's events. Chin

Olympic GamesJuly 13, 2015

South Korean golfer Chun In-gee, who became the newest LPGA major champ here Sunday, remained non-committal about playing full-time on the U.S. circuit next season.Chun captured the U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, rallying from a four-shot deficit to beat countrywoman Amy Yang by one stroke at eight-under 272.It was Chun's first LPGA major title and came in her U.S. Women's Open debut. Chun, still a member of the Korean LPGA Tour, has earned full-time playing privile

GolfJuly 13, 2015

South Korean badminton player Sung Ji-hyun captured the gold medal in the women's singles at the Universiade on Sunday.Sung defeated Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) in a taut final at Hwasun Hanium Culture Sports Center in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, just south of the main host city Gwangju.This was Sung's second straight Universiade gold, and South Korea's second of the evening. Shin Seung-chan and Kim Gi-jung earlier won the mixed doubles gold.The two players were ba

More SportsJuly 12, 2015

Son Yeon-jae won South Korea's first Universiade title in the individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics on Sunday. Son earned a combined 72.550 points in ball, hoop, clubs and ribbon in Gwangju, the host city some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. Ganna Rizatdinova of Ukraine won the silver medal with 71.750 points and Melitina Staniouta of Belarus got bronze with 70.800 points.The 21-year-old led the competition in every apparatus. On Sunday, she started with ribbon, in which she scored 18.050 poi

More SportsJuly 12, 2015

Gwangju college students aspiring to be flight attendants are presenting medals to the athletes taking the winning podium at the Gwangju Universiade, demonstrating their commitment to the city that is holding its biggest international sporting event.About 200 students from Kwangju Women’s University carry gold, silver and bronze prizes at the medal presentation throughout the event. They come from the Airline Service Department, an academic course where students are trained and learn to become a

More SportsJuly 12, 2015

The top-seeded South Korean Chung Hyeon captured the Universiade gold medal in the men's singles tennis Sunday.Chung defeated No. 2 seed Aslan Karatsev of Russia 2-1 (1-6, 6-2, 6-0) in the final at Yeomju Indoor Tennis Court in Gwangju.This was the second medal at this Universiade for Chung, the highest-ranked South Korean at No. 79. On Saturday, he and Nam Ji-sung took the silver medal in the men's doubles.Chung is the third straight men's singles champ from South Korea, after Lim Yong-kyu's ba

More SportsJuly 12, 2015

Gwangju is reshaping itself into the cultural hub of Asia. Korea launched a 5.3 trillion won ($4.8 billion) project -- the single largest cultural project in modern Korean history -- in 2004 to turn the city into a hub by 2023.The state project began with the late President Roh Moo-hyun’s election pledge in 2002 to develop both cities and provinces in a balanced way. Later, a special law was legislated to carry out the pledge. The project envisions Gwangju as a platform on which Asian countries

More SportsJuly 11, 2015

South Korea won the team gold medal in the men's 10-meter air pistol event at the Summer Universiade in Gwangju on Friday.   Park Dae-hun, Jang Ha-lim and Seo Jin-sung earned a combined 1,722 points at the final held at the Naju Jeollanamdo Shooting Range, near the main host city Gwangju.   Mongolia finished second with 1,714 points, and Russia came next with 1,711 points.   With this, Park became South Korea's third triple gold medalist after archers Lee Seung-yun and Kim Jong-ho at the ongoing

More SportsJuly 10, 2015

After sweeping up eight out of 18 gold medals up for grabs in judo at the Summer Universiade, South Korea will look to do an encore at next year's Summer Olympics, the team's head coach said Thursday.Suh Joung-bok oversaw the team that also grabbed five silver and two bronze medals in Gwangju. Saying the Universiade was a "prelude" to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Suh expressed confidence that South Korea will also excel at the Summer Games."All the work we put in paid off here," he said.

More SportsJuly 9, 2015

The Gwangju Universiade marks the biggest sporting event for college athletes and has drawn the largest number of athletes and officials, said Kim Hwang-sik, co-chairman of the Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC).“We set a milestone of hosting the biggest-ever Universiade. Some 13,000 athletes and officials have come to Gwangju for the games. The number of delegates has surpassed that of the 2013 Kazan Universiade, which drew 11,759 participants,” Kim said in an interview with the Gw

More SportsJuly 8, 2015

The Gwangju Universiade opening ceremony was designed to unite young people from all over the world and encourage them to work for peace and harmony, said Park Myung-sung, chief director of the event’s opening ceremony.Attended by more than 13,000 university students from 148 countries, the event was held under the slogan of “U are Shining.” The official theme of the opening ceremony epitomizes the spirit of the youth and brings hopes and passion to young people.“(Through the theme) I wanted to

More SportsJuly 8, 2015

Gwangju has been called the hometown of art in the Republic of Korea from old times. A number of noted artists, musicians and writers came from Gwangju or settled in the city.Master artist of Korean painting Heo Baek-ryeon, Korea’s western painting pioneer Oh Chi-ho, pansori (Korean musical storytelling) maestro Im Bang-wool and lyric poet Kim Yong-chul are among them.Heo Baek-ryeonHeo Baek-ryeon (1890-1977) painted landscapes of Gwangju in the Chinese painting style of Southern School. The scho

More SportsJuly 8, 2015

South Korean archer Ki Bo-bae won the gold medal in the women's individual recurve event at the Summer Universiade on Wednesday.Ki prevailed in the all-South Korean final over Choi Mi-sun by the set score of 6-5 after a shoot-off at Gwangju International Archery Center, earning her second gold medal of the day and giving South Korea four recurve titles.Ki had earlier helped the mixed teams win the gold. The men's team defeated Chinese Taipei for another gold, while Lee Seung-yun captured the men

More SportsJuly 8, 2015