Cycling, Soft Tennis and Shooting... South Korean Delegation Launches Medal Campaign with Four Valuable Bronzes [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News]   The South Korean national team delegation competing at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has launched its medal campaign in earnest.
Although they did not reach the top step of the podium, the athletes' sweat, shed quietly as they faced their limits, produced valuable bronze medals. Four bronzes were won across cycling, shooting and soft tennis on the 20th, highlighting the extraordinary fighting spirit of the South Korean athletes.

The cyclist who won the first medal of the Games for the entire South Korean delegation was team standout Shin Ji-eun (Geumsan County Office). Shin finished third in the women's road time trial held on the Shinshiro Circuit course in Aichi, Japan, on the 20th, recording 36 minutes and 56.14 seconds. She passed the first section in fourth place, then moved into third with an explosive sprint in the second section. Maintaining her pace all the way to the finish, she secured a valuable bronze medal. After making a strong start to the Games, Shin will immediately compete in track events, including the team pursuit and Madison, as she seeks additional medals.
Shooting prodigy Ban Hyo-jin (Daegu Public Facilities Management Corporation) celebrated her 19th birthday with a valuable bronze medal. In the final of the women's 10m air rifle individual event at the Aichi Prefectural Comprehensive Shooting Range, she scored 230.4 points to finish third among eight competitors. After previously winning the 2024 Summer Olympics (Paris 2024) and the 2025 World Championships, she could have completed a shooting Grand Slam with a victory. However, that achievement will have to wait for another opportunity. Still, she was not intimidated on her first Asian Games appearance and won a medal in the individual event, once again proving that she is a leading figure in South Korean shooting.

At Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya, the men's and women's soft tennis teams delivered news of matching bronze medals after battles marked by sweat and tears. The women's team, led by head coach Ko Bok-seong, and the men's team, coached by Kim Yong-kook, both lost 1-2 to formidable Taiwan in the team-event semifinals and finished the Games in third place.
The women's semifinal was a truly nail-biting battle. Hwang Jeong-mi (Nonghyup Bank) fought hard and won her singles match, but the team ultimately went down after narrowly losing both doubles matches 4-5 in a grueling 2-hour-and-42-minute contest. The men's team also leveled the score when singles player Kim Jinwoong (Suwon City Hall) won 4-3 after a close final game. However, they lost the decisive second doubles match 0-5, bringing the 1-hour-and-47-minute contest to an end.
Korean soft tennis has now achieved the rare feat of both its men's and women's teams winning bronze medals at two consecutive Asian Games, following the Hangzhou Asian Games. The men's and women's teams, despite their disappointment, will return to medal contention in the mixed doubles on the 21st and the men's and women's singles on the 22nd.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter