Baseball, Women's Handball Seek Redemption in Gold Medal Korea-Japan Showdowns [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] On the ninth day of the Games, the Korean men's baseball team and women's handball team will both face Japan in gold-medal matches on the 27th, seeking redemption and a place atop the podium. The baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, will play Japan in the final at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture at 6:30 p.m. on the 27th.
Korea suffered a 0-5 defeat to Japan in the first Super Round game two days earlier. It was Korea's first loss to Japan at the Asian Games in 20 years. Korea, composed solely of professional players, badly lost face after bowing to Japan's corporate baseball players, who balance regular jobs with baseball, without managing to mount any meaningful offense.
However, Korea advanced to the final after routing China 9-2 in the second Super Round game. It will face Japan again after the Japanese team defeated Taiwan 7-3. The baseball team is determined to restore its honor in the rematch and win a fifth consecutive title.
The Korean women's handball team will play Japan in the final round-robin match at Inazawa En-trio in Aichi Prefecture at 6 p.m. Seven teams are competing in women's handball at these Games, with every team facing the others once before the team with the best record takes the gold medal. Korea and Japan, both riding five-game winning streaks, will meet in a winner-take-all showdown.
Korea settled for silver after losing to Japan by 10 points in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Now, on Japan's home soil, the team will take the court determined to avenge that defeat and reclaim the Asian title after eight years. Both teams employ a similar style featuring quick transitions between offense and defense, so the outcome is expected to be decided by defense.
Woo Sang-hyeok of Yongin City Hall will seek his first Asian Games gold medal in the men's high jump at his fourth Games. He won silver medals at each of the previous two editions. Because the field has been reduced, the qualifying round was canceled, and the medal competition will begin directly with the final.
Korean fencing, a traditional medal stronghold, will look to continue its medal haul in the men's team épée and women's team sabre events at Aichi Sky Expo.
Juni Kang, 17, and Shin Ji-yul, 15, known as 'skateboarding prodigies,' will compete in the men's and women's street events, respectively, aiming to continue the sport's legacy by winning Korea's first skateboarding medal in eight years.

[email protected] Hwan-joo Lee Reporter