Korean women's epee fencing team eliminated after one match

The South Korean women's epee fencing team, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist, lost its first match at the Rio de Janeiro Games on Thursday.The trio of Shin A-lam, Choi In-jeong and Kang Young-mi lost to the Estonian team of Erika Kirpu, Irina Embrich and Julia Beljajeva 27-26 at Carioca Arena 3. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldShin and Choi were members of the silver medal-winning team at the 2012 London Olympics, but they played just one match before packing.Shin, Choi and Kang also failed to win

Aug. 12, 2016

Korean men go under par in 1st round of golf

Both of the South Korean players went under par in the opening round of men's golf at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday.An Byeong-hun traded seven birdies with four bogeys for a three-under 68 on the par-71, 7,128-yard Olympic Golf Course. Wang Jeung-hun managed three birdies but also had a double bogey en route to a one-under 70 on a sunny and windy day. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldAn was in the first group to tee off at 7:30 a.m. with Adilson da Silva of Brazil and Graham Delaet of Can

Aug. 12, 2016

Swimmer Park Tae-hwan leaves Rio empty-handed

Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan has left Rio de Janeiro empty-handed.Park departed for South Korea on Thursday, having failed to win a medal at his fourth Olympics here in Brazil. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldHe didn't make it out of the heats in each of his three races -- the 400m, 200m and 100m freestyle -- and withdrew from the 1,500m freestyle scheduled for Saturday.Park, the 2008 gold medalist and 2012 silver medalist in the 400m free, finished 10th in the heats and didn't q

Aug. 12, 2016

Korean women's golf coach hoping to keep pressure off players

South Korean Olympic women's golf coach Pak Se-ri said Thursday the key to her team's performance is to keep the pressure off the four players.Pak, a World Golf Hall of Famer and a five-time LPGA champion, arrived in Rio de Janeiro earlier in the day with the women's competition set to start next Wednesday.She told reporters at Galeao International Airport her previously stated goal hasn't changed -- a podium sweep.(Yonhap)"The objective is obviously to win gold, silver and bronze, but I think m

Aug. 12, 2016

Table tennis player delivers 4th Olympic medal for North Korea

Table tennis player Kim Song-i delivered North Korea's fourth medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday as she finished third in the women's singles competition. (AFP-Yonhap)Kim defeated Ai Fukuhara of Japan 4-1 (11-7, 11-7, 11-5, 12-14, 11-5) in the bronze medal contest of women's table tennis singles at the Rio Games. This is the first time since 2004 that North Korea has collected a medal in women's table tennis singles. At the Athens Games, Kim Hyang-mi won the silver medal. Kim will

Aug. 11, 2016

Midfielder on his way to becoming game changer for Korean football

South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon is already considered a promising starlet with his energetic performance. And now at the Summer Games, he is trying to become a game changer for South Korean football. Kwon netted the only goal of the football match between South Korea and Mexico at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday and delivered his side a 1-0 victory. Kwon's goal also lifted South Korea to the quarterfinals in the men's Olympic football tournament as the Group C winners with two w

Aug. 11, 2016

Fencer idolizing football star becomes Olympic medalist

South Korean fencer Kim Jung-hwan isn't necessarily a fan of football, but he admires Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar for Real Madrid.It's how Ronaldo -- widely considered one of the world's very best -- has defied critics and worked his way to the top in his sport that has captivated Kim.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldWhile it's not clear how much of Ronaldo's influence helped Kim win the bronze medal in the men's individual sabre Wednesday at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Kim said he

Aug. 11, 2016

Football coach praises players for reaching quarters

The South Korean Olympic men's football coach on Wednesday praised his players for reaching the quarterfinals at the Rio de Janeiro Games, saying that the fans can now expect even better results. South Korea, led by coach Shin Tae-yong, edged the defending champions Mexico 1-0 in their last Group C contest in Brasilia that day to join the last eight. The young Taeguk Warriors won the group with two wins and a draw, their best group stage performance ever at the Olympics.Park Hae-mook/The Korea H

Aug. 11, 2016

Korean Kim Jung-hwan wins fencing bronze

South Korean fencer Kim Jung-hwan captured bronze in the men's individual sabre at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.Kim defeated Mojtaba Abedini of Iran 15-8 in the bronze medal bout at Caroica Arena 3. Kim had gone 4-1 against Abedini in five previous meetings.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThe victory was also a measure of revenge for the South Korean team, as Abedini had knocked off South Korean Gu Bon-gil in the round of 16 earlier Wednesday.Kim's medal was South Korea's second in fen

Aug. 11, 2016

Korea reach men's football quarters with win over Mexico

South Korea reached the men's football quarterfinals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Mexico on Wednesday.Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon scored the winner in the 77th minute at Mane Garrincha Stadium in the Brazilian capital, sending South Korea to the knockout stage for the second straight Olympics. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldSouth Korea captured bronze at the 2012 London Games, the country's only medal in Olympic football.Needing only a draw to advance to the quarters, Sou

Aug. 11, 2016

Korean Gwak Dong-han wins bronze in men's judo

South Korean judoka Gwak Dong-hwan took the bronze medal in the men's -90kg at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Wednesday.Gwak defeated Marcus Nyman of Sweden in the bronze medal contest at Carioca Arena 2, earning South Korea's third medal in judo here. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldEarlier, Gwak lost to Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia in the semifinals to fall to the third-place match.Gwak, world No. 1 in his weight class, defeated Thomas Bricento of Chile in the round of 32. He then took down Popol

Aug. 11, 2016

Korean fencer blames nerves for unexpected defeat

Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldSouth Korean sabre fencer Gu Bon-gil competed before hundreds of fans at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and with a million butterflies in his stomach.The 2012 Olympic champion in the men's sabre team event lost in the round of 16 in the individual event here, falling to Mojtaba Abedini of Iran by 15-12.It was an unexpectedly quick exit for the world No. 4, especially since Gu had never lost to Abedini in their four previous meetings.After the defeat, Gu said he tighte

Aug. 11, 2016

Reigning fencing gold medalist knocked out early in Rio

The 2012 Olympic fencing gold medalist, Gu Bon-gil, was knocked out early at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.Gu lost to Mojtaba Abedini of Iran 15-12 in the round of 16 in the men's individual sabre at Carioca Arena 3. Gu helped South Korea to the team gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and was seeking his first individual Olympic medal here. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThere will be no men's sabre team event in Rio under the Olympic rotation system. There are maximum 12 events a

Aug. 11, 2016

Veteran foil fencer 'relieved' to get last Olympics out of way

South Korean foil fencer Nam Hyun-hee said she felt "zero pressure" to deliver a medal when she arrived in Rio de Janeiro for her fourth Summer Olympics.She is 34 years old, only three years removed from a childbirth that cost her some valuable training time, and with younger teammates coming off Olympic medals and other international titles, Nam felt all the eyes would be on them instead. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThat explains her sense of relief following a second-round loss at the indivi

Aug. 11, 2016

N. Korean shooting medalist imagines 'one Korea'

North Korean shooter Kim Song-guk took the bronze medal in the men's 50m pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, while South Korea's Jin Jong-oh won the gold.And Kim believes one Korea would have made these medals a much bigger deal. Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald"If the two become one, then we'd have one big medal at hand," Kim said at a press conference at Olympic Shooting Center, after winning North Korea's third medal at these Games. "And if we have the gold medal and the bronze medal both ca

Aug. 11, 2016

Korea's Jin Jong-oh wins gold in men's 50m pistol shooting

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh captured gold in the men's 50m pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Wednesday.Jin scored an Olympic record 193.7 points in the final at Olympic Shooting Centre, rallying to defeat Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam by 2.4 points.Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldJin became the first shooter, male or female, to win a single event in three consecutive Olympics.It was South Korea's fourth gold medal in Rio, and first medal of any kind in shooting. Jin had finished fifth in the

Aug. 11, 2016

Former Olympic medalist takes early exit in foil fencing

Two-time Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee took an early exit from the women's individual foil at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Wednesday.Nam lost to Shiho Nishioka of Japan 15-12 in the round of 32. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldNam opened a 6-2 lead early in the second period, but Nishioka scored six straight points to build an 8-6 lead.Leading 10-8 in the final frame, the Japanese contender reeled off four consecutive points to reach the brink of a victory. Nam hung tough and closed it t

Aug. 11, 2016

Swimmer Park Tae-hwan to head home after withdrawing from last Rio race

Slumping South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has pulled out of his last race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Park will not compete in the 1,500m freestyle, an official with the South Korean delegation said Wednesday, and will leave Rio on Thursday. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThe 1,500m was scheduled for Saturday.Competing in his fourth Olympics, Park failed to get out of the heats in his first three races: the 400m free, 200m free and 100m free. Park is the 2008 Olympic champion and 2012 silver

Aug. 11, 2016

Golf returns to Olympics after 112 years

Golf will make its long-awaited return to the Olympics on Thursday, as the first round of the men's competition gets underway with two South Koreans in the field.Golf was last contested at the Olympics in 1904. Park Hae-mook/The Korea HeraldThe men's competition has lost much of its luster with the absence of the world's top four players -- Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. South Korea will be represented by two youngsters: the 24-year-old An Byeong-hun, the 2015 Europea

Aug. 11, 2016