"12-Year Jinx Crushed by 26 Points" ... South Korea Men's Basketball Defeats Iran to Secure Silver [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korea men's basketball's "Iran jinx," which had dogged the team relentlessly for 12 years, has finally been shattered. The Taegeuk Warriors overwhelmed their nemesis and reached the Asian Games final for the first time in 12 years, announcing the spectacular return of Asia's dominant force.
South Korea's men's national basketball team, ranked 57th by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and coached by Nikolajs Mazurs, routed Iran, ranked 28th, 77-51 in the semifinal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 18th.
South Korea achieved the feat of reaching the men's basketball final at the Asian Games for the first time in 12 years, since winning gold at the 2014 Incheon Games. In particular, the team fully avenged the humiliation of six straight losses to Iran in major international competitions since its victory in the Incheon final, doing so with a 26-point rout.
Having secured at least a silver medal, South Korea's men's basketball team delivered the Korean delegation's first valuable medal of the Games. Although the official opening ceremony of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held on the 19th, the men's basketball tournament began as a preliminary event on the 10th, allowing the team to achieve the prized feat of winning a medal before the Games officially opened.
The relentless run of Mazurs' team, which began in the group stage, rendered meaningless even the assessment that South Korea was objectively overmatched. Against Iran, a powerhouse ranked 29 places higher in the FIBA rankings, South Korea displayed superior ability at both ends of the court and secured a 26-point victory.
South Korea, which has reached the highest stage on the strength of five consecutive wins, will face the winner of the Japan-China semifinal in the highly anticipated final on the 20th. The team will battle for its first gold medal in 12 years.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter