"Everyone's Gone Crazy"—They Beat Japan, Crushed Qatar and Even Broke Through the Great Wall... Who Knew Korean Basketball Could Be This Strong? [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] There is no way to describe this thrilling moment other than saying, "This is crazy."
Korean basketball has unleashed a historic 'perfect storm' in Nagoya, Japan, giving sports fans an unparalleled rush. It brought down archrival Japan on its home court, silenced the Middle Eastern sandstorm and shattered even the Great Wall of height. The renaissance of Korean basketball has made a spectacular comeback on the grandest stage.
The journey began with South Korea's men's 5x5 national basketball team, which carried the heaviest burden. Led by head coach Nikolajs Mazurs, the men's team crushed host Japan 67-57 in the final on the 20th to win gold for the first time in 12 years. The victory was especially meaningful because it marked South Korea's first Asian Games gold on foreign soil in 44 years, since the 1982 New Delhi Games.
Mazurs, who had spent the entire game furrowing his brow, beamed as the players hoisted him into the air. Ace Lee Hyun-jung lay face down on the court and shed tears of joy, washing away the painful memories of the past. As the Taegeukgi was raised to the highest point in the heart of enemy territory and the players sang the national anthem at the top of their voices, a counteroffensive by Korean basketball had begun.


The excitement quickly spread to the 3x3 court. South Korea's men's 3x3 basketball national team, coached by Bae Gil-tae, overwhelmed Qatar, whose players averaged 2 meters in height, 19-10 in the final on the 25th to claim the first 3x3 basketball gold medal in Asian Games history. Led by the merciless perimeter shooting of Lee Ju-young and Lee Dong-geun, the team dominated its opponents throughout the game and calmly kept finding the net. This gold medal completely erased the disappointments of Hangzhou and Jakarta. It also carried twice the emotional weight because it was South Korea's 800th gold medal in Asian Games history.
And the finishing touch to this astonishing run is being applied by the women's team. Led by Park Soo-ho, South Korea's women's national basketball team pulled off a stunning 85-80 semifinal upset over China, regarded as Asia's strongest team and anchored by 220cm giant Zhang Ziyu, on the same day. South Korea finally ended its six-game losing streak in international competitions and its seven-year jinx against China at the most important moment. In a nerve-racking seesaw battle that swung back and forth, consecutive three-pointers by Kang Lee-seul, Lee Hae-ran and Lee So-hee in the fourth quarter turned Nagoya Arena into an exclusive stage for South Korea's women.


Korean basketball now stands before uncharted heights. With the men's 5x5 and 3x3 teams already having collected two gold medals, an unprecedented sweep of the basketball events at the Asian Games could become reality if the women's team wins the final on the 26th against the winner of Japan and Taiwan. The long-held dream of a men's-and-women's double championship on foreign soil is now just one victory away.
As if laughing off criticism that it had fallen into a slump, K-basketball is soaring more spectacularly than ever on the Asian stage. The hearts of the entire nation are racing at full speed as South Korea's players continue their fearless charge, turning a miracle into reality.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter