The Korea Herald

[Asian Games] Asian Games flame goes out due to technical issues

The Asian Games cauldron, a symbol of the athletic event that is supposed to be kept lit during the 16-day run in Incheon, temporarily went dark due to technical problems, organizing committee officials said Sunday.The torch lost its flame at around 11:40 p.m. on Saturday after experiencing malfunctions in the cauldron that held the fire but was re-lit 10 minutes later, officials added."It seems there were some technical problems (with the cauldron)," a committee official said, adding that the c

More SportsSept. 21, 2014

[Asian Games] S. Korea wins shooting team gold in 10m air pistol

Led by a fearless teenager shooter, the South Korean men's team grabbed a gold medal in the 10-meter air pistol Sunday at the Asian Games in the country's western port city of Incheon, rising to the top of the Asiad podium for the second straight time.During the tense competition at Ongnyeon International Shooting Range, the team of Jin Jong-oh, Lee Dae-myung and Kim Cheong-yong scored an aggregate of 1,744 points to take gold, squeezing past the Chinese team by one point. It is South Korea's fi

More SportsSept. 21, 2014

[Asian Games] Local hero Park below par in swim heats

Heavyweight rivals Park Tae-Hwan and Sun Yang won their heats in the men's 200 metres freestyle on the first day of the Asian Games swimming Sunday but local hero Park looked less than comfortable.Park, the Games poster boy after whom the Incheon aquatics arena is named, sauntered onto the pool deck looking relaxed in a pair of headphones but left with a wry look after clocking one minute 50.29 seconds, just 0.14 ahead of China's Li Yunqi."That wasn't my best swim but it was just the heats," the

More SportsSept. 21, 2014

[Asian Games] Diminutive crowd pleaser brings big cheers in weightlifting

North Korea's world beater Om Yun-chol, the smallest weightlifter in the men's 58kg final at the 2014 Asian Games, made the biggest noise Saturday night in Incheon, whipping the crowd from both sides of the tense border into a frenzy with his record-breaking performance.The 152-centimeter lifter, who set a world record in the clean and jerk en route to winning his country's first gold at this year's Asiad, singlehandedly brought a rock concert atmosphere to the Moonlight Festival Garden Weightli

More SportsSept. 21, 2014

[Asian Games] Park Tae-hwan advances to 200ｍ freestyle final

South Korean swimming hero Park Tae-hwan qualified for the Asiad men's 200ｍ freestyle final Sunday, putting himself a step closer to a third straight gold in the continental competition.Racing in the fourth lane in Heat 3, Park clocked at 1:50.29, tops in his heat and fourth best overall among 26 swimmers. The top eight swimmers from the heats will compete in the final, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Sunday.The swimming races at this year's Asiad are held at a brand new arena bearing Park's name:

More SportsSept. 21, 2014

[Asian Games] Korea grabs five golds on first day; China dominates shooting

Host South Korea captured five gold medals as part of its 13-medal first day of official competition at the ongoing Asian Games on Saturday, putting itself solidly on track to win the desired 90 gold medals at the multisport competition.South Korea shot to the top of the medal standings, but China is right behind with 11 medals, including five golds. China has reigned supreme at the Asian Games for more than three decades, and it may just be a matter of time before China overtakes the host on th

Olympic GamesSept. 21, 2014

[Asian Games] Korea grabs five golds on first day; China dominates shooting

[Asian Games] Weightlifter breaks world record to win first gold for N. Korea

North Korean weightlifter Om Yun-chol claimed his country's first gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games here on Saturday in a record-breaking fashion.Om broke his own world record with a lift of 170㎏ in the clean and jerk. He also hoisted 128㎏ in the snatch earlier for an Asian Games record total of 298㎏ at the Moonlight Festival Garden Weightlifting Venue in the western port city.Om, 22, had lifted 169㎏ during the Asian Senior Interclub Weightlifting Championship held in Pyongyang last year.This

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] Weightlifter breaks world record to win first gold for N. Korea

[Asian Games] Judoka Kim Sol-mi wins N. Korea's first medal in Incheon

North Korean judoka Kim Sol-mi on Saturday won bronze in the women's under 48-kilogram division at the Incheon Asian Games, giving her country its first Asiad medal on the first day of competition.She routed Aigul Baikuleva from Kazakhstan for ippon in the repechage final at Dowon Gymnasium, western Incheon.She passed the first round for ippon, ousting Amanova Aikanysh from Kyrgyzstan, and met South Korea's Jeong Bo-Kyeong in the quarterfinals.In the inter-Korean duel, the North's athlete lost

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] Judoka Kim Sol-mi wins N. Korea's first medal in Incheon

[Asian Games] Korea wins gold in team dressage equestrian at Asiad

South Korea claimed a much-anticipated gold in the team dressage equestrian event at the Asian Games on Saturday, extending its winning streak at the multinational event to five.Hwang Young-shik, Chung Yoo-yeon and Kim Dong-seon of South Korea combined for an average of 71.746 points in Incheon, ahead of second-place Japan with 69.842 points on average.Hwang, 23, was the best rider among all 32 with 74.342 points.The gold was his third consecutive title at the Asian Games following two golds at

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] Korea wins gold in team dressage equestrian at Asiad

[Asian Games] Korea wins cycling gold in men's team sprint, silver in women's team sprint

South Korea struck its first cycling gold in the men's team sprint Saturday at the ongoing Asian Games, part of its two-medal day on the track.The trio of Kang Dong-jin, Yim Chae-bin and Son Je-yong clocked in at 59.616 seconds after racing three laps of the 333.3ｍvelodrome at the Incheon International Velodrome in the northern part of this port city, edging China's Xu Chao, Hu Ke, and Bao Saifei, who finished in 59.960 seconds.It is the first time for South Korea to clinch the gold medal in the

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] Indonesia named host of 2018 Asian Games

Indonesia was formally named the host country for the 2018 Asian Games on Saturday, filling the void created when Vietnam relinquished its hosting rights over financial concerns. Indonesia's National Olympic Committee said Saturday that events would be held in the capital of Jakarta, along with the regions of South Sumatra and West Java. Committee Chairwoman Rita Subowo said the bid had strong support from the central and regional governments and that much of the infrastructure was already i

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] S. Korea wins first gold in Incheon Asiad in wushu

Lee Ha-sung in wushu captured South Korea's first gold medal at the ongoing Incheon Asian Games on Saturday. Lee Ha-sung in wushu, Korea's first gold medalist in the 2014 Asian Games (Yonhap)Competing in the men's changquan final, Lee scored 9.71 points for the host's first gold medal at Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium in the western port city. Jia Rui of Macau was the silver medalist with 9.69 points. Daisuke Ichikizaki of Japan got the bronze with 9.67 points. Lee earned 5.00 points in qualit

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] S. Korea wins first gold in Incheon Asiad in wushu

[Asian Games] S. Korean celebs wow audience with dramatic Asiad opening

Popular South Korean celebrities shined over the opening ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games on Friday, as they appeared in short succession and kept the spectators glued to their seats. Minutes before the start of the pan-continental sports festival, South Korean boy band EXO entered the stage amid a boisterous crowd. Dedicated fans packed one side of the stadium and screamed as the group performed its 2013 hits "Wolf" and "Growl." South Korean celebs, including actor Kim Soo-hyun (second fr

Olympic GamesSept. 20, 2014

[Asian Games] S. Korean celebs wow audience with dramatic Asiad opening

[Asian Games] Son Yeon-jae most anticipated athlete at Asian Games

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae’s upcoming performance at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon was selected as the most anticipated event by spectators here, a survey showed Thursday.The country’s top rhythmic gymnast took 25.4 percent of the popularity vote of 3,000 South Koreans in their 20s to 50s, according to the survey by the local polling agency Panel Marketing Interactive. The 20-year-old finished fifth in the individual all-around at the world championships last year. She has been

More SportsSept. 19, 2014

[Asian Games] Unity in diversity

The 2014 Asian Games, the largest sporting event on the continent, kicked off Friday for a 16-day run in Incheon, a metropolitan city west of Seoul.The event, governed by the Olympic Council of Asia, brings together some 10,000 athletes for a multisport spectacle second only in scale to the Summer Olympics.Korea has had the experience of hosting the Asian Games twice before ― first in 1986 in Seoul and second in 2002 in Busan, the second-largest city. This will be the biggest Asiad ever, with 43

More SportsSept. 19, 2014

[Asian Games] Rising athletes to shine

From the Northeast to the Middle East, nearly 10,000 Asian athletes will compete at the Asian Games, which officially opened on Friday. China is expected to extend its rein while host South Korea and its archrival Japan will compete for second place. Viewing the continental games as a testing ground ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, many countries are fielding emerging athletes who could potentially dominate future sports scenes. The Games will feature many world champions including Korean swimmer

More SportsSept. 19, 2014

Asian Games: Big cheers for North Korea at opening ceremony

INCHEON, South Korea (AFP) – North Korea's athletes got an unexpectedly rousing welcome at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Incheon on Friday as South Korean fans put aside their bitter rivalry and cheered them warmly.The two countries are technically still at war, and a recent spike in tensions prompted speculation about what kind of reception the North's delegation would get at the gala launch of the 17th Asiad.The crowd in the 61,000-seat stadium bellowed their approval as the North

SoccerSept. 19, 2014

[Asian Games] Asiad to feature cutting-edge broadcasting tech

The Incheon Asian Games, a multisport event to be held in the port city of Incheon from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, will be showcasing state-of-the-art broadcasting technology. The international broadcasting center, a hub for broadcasters covering the Asiad, is a notable example. The IBC, established and managed by IT solutions developer LG CNS, is the first of its kind to be wholly run by a domestic firm for an international sports event in South Korea.High-definition TV coverage of all 36 sports at th

More SportsSept. 19, 2014

[Asian Games] Asiad to feature cutting-edge broadcasting tech

[Asian Games] Things to know about the Games

EventsThe 2014 Asian Games will showcase elite Asian talent in 36 sports and disciplines. These include 28 Olympic sports that will be showcased at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In addition, eight non-Olympic sports will be featured: baseball, tenpin bowling, cricket, kabaddi, karate, sepak takraw, squash and wushu. Six other sports ― roller sports, board games (chess, go and xiangqi), cue sports, softball, dance sport and dragon boat racing ― that were held in previous games have been dropped from

More SportsSept. 19, 2014

[Asian Games] Things to know about the Games

[Asian Games] Organizer promises successful Asian Games

Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee president Kim Young-soo said he hoped that the Games would become recognized as the most successful sporting event in South Korean history.Although there have been difficulties including budget cuts, the IAGOC has worked to make the Games different from past events and entertaining for all Asians. Aiming to raise the Asian Games to a new level, the IAGOC aspires to host a Games at which athletes can display their full potential and participants can enjoy

More SportsSept. 19, 2014

[Asian Games] Organizer promises successful Asian Games