Asiad-bound taekwondo practitioners fueled by failures

Jang Jun and Lee Da-bin, two South Korean taekwondo medal hopefuls at the upcoming Asian Games in China, both want to use their recent slip-ups as fuel. Lee, 26, will be going for her third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou next month. Her first gold came in the lightweight (62 kilograms) event in 2014, but she moved up to heavyweight (+67kg) under the revised weight divisions in 2018 and won gold there too. She will be the defending champion in the heavyweight class in September. &

Aug. 25, 2023

By missing podium at worlds, high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok hits speed bump in trailblazing career

That a top-six finish at the World Athletics Championships can be seen as a disappointment for Woo Sang-hyeok indicates just how far the South Korean high jumper has come. It wasn't that long ago when the goal for any Korean high jumper competing at a worlds was to make it out of the preliminary phase and qualify for the final. Woo then raised the figurative bar high by winning silver at last year's World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. South Korea, a country long without an

Aug. 23, 2023

Faker to advance to 2023 LoL World Championship

After a hard-fought 3-2 victory over KT Rolster in the semifinal of the League of Legends Champions Korea Summer on Saturday, esports giant T1 have secure their spot not only in the finals, but also at this year’s LoL World Championship. As Gen.G and T1 made one-two finishes in both spring and summer seasons, the two teams will be automatically qualified for LoL World Championship with the most championship points regardless of their performances in the upcoming 2023 LCK Summer finals. The

Aug. 20, 2023

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok goes for 1st world outdoor title in Hungary

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok will begin his quest for a historic gold medal at the world championships in Hungary this weekend. The qualification for the men's high jump at the World Athletics Championships is set for 10:35 a.m. Sunday in Budapest, or 5:35 p.m. Sunday. The final is scheduled for 7:58 p.m. Tuesday in the Hungarian capital, or 2:58 a.m. Wednesday. Woo is the reigning world silver medalist, having finished behind Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar in Eugene, Oregon, last y

Aug. 18, 2023

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok finishes 2nd in final tuneup for world championships

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has finished in second place in his final tuneup before the world championships later this month. Woo, the reigning world silver medalist, jumped 2.28 meters for the runner-up showing at the International High Jump Meeting in Heilbronn, Germany, on Sunday. Hamish Kerr of New Zealand also cleared 2.28m but did so in one fewer attempt than Woo to grab the gold medal. The jumpers braved rainy conditions in Heilbronn, where the reigning Olympic champion from I

Aug. 7, 2023

Nat'l swimming team returns home from worlds with 1 medal, 8 nat'l records in tow

The South Korean national swimming team returned home from the world championships in Japan on Monday, having bagged one medal and set eight national records in the pool. Hwang Sun-woo, who won bronze in the men's 200-meter freestyle, was South Korea's lone medalist at the World Aquatics Championships, held in Fukuoka, Japan, from July 14 to Sunday. He also helped two relay teams break national records. With a national record time of 1 minute 44.42 seconds in the 200 freestyle final, H

July 31, 2023

Teen swimmer reaches 1st semis at swimming worlds

South Korea's Lee Eun-ji made it to her first semifinals of the ongoing swimming world championships in Japan on Friday. Lee finished 14th in the heats for the women's 200-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, with a time of 2:11.78. The top 16 swimmers from the heats advanced to the semifinals scheduled for Friday evening at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A. This was Lee's third individual race in Fukuoka and her first trip to the semifinals. The 17-year-old

July 28, 2023

S. Korean men chasing 1st relay medal at swimming worlds

With his individual races now in the books at the ongoing world championships, South Korean swimming star Hwang Sun-woo will try to lead his relay team to unprecedented heights. Hwang will team up with three others in the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships on Friday in the Japanese host city of Fukuoka. The heats are scheduled for 11:55 a.m. at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A, and the top eight teams will advance to the final set for 9:40 p.m. South Korea has

July 27, 2023

Swimmer Hwang Sun-woo looks on brighter side after narrow miss for gold at worlds

You can look at a bronze medal in an athletic competition in different ways: you're either the third best in your sport, or you fell two spots short of first place. For South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo, the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle at the world championships in Japan on Tuesday added a new color to a collection of medals that he hopes to keep growing. That Hwang broke his own national record at the same time helped ease the sting of not taking the ultimate prize in Fukuoka

July 25, 2023

2nd worlds medal cements Hwang Sun-woo's status as next big thing in S. Korean swimming

FUKUOKA, Japan -- If there had been any doubt at all as to Hwang Sun-woo's status as the next big thing in South Korean swimming, it was all erased Tuesday in Japan with his second straight world championships medal. Hwang grabbed the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, with a time of 1:44.42, the new South Korean record. He finished behind two British swimmers, Matthew Richards (1:44.30) and Tom Dean (1:44.42). At 20, Hwang has now gone

July 25, 2023

Hwang Sun-woo wins bronze in 200m freestyle at swimming worlds

FUKUOKA, Japan -- South Korean Hwang Sun-woo captured the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle at the world championships in Japan on Tuesday, breaking his own national record in the process. Hwang touched the pad in the new national record time of 1:44.42 for his second straight medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka. Hwang, 20, won silver behind Popovici at last year's world championships in Budapest. Hwang is the first South Korean to win a medal at back-to-back world s

July 25, 2023

Three advance, others eliminated for S. Korea at swimming worlds

FUKUOKA -- Three South Koreans moved on to the next phase while others were sent packing in Day 1 of swimming at the world championships on Sunday. Kim Woo-min made his second consecutive final in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, with a new personal best time of 3:44.52. He finished sixth in the heats, with the top eight reaching the final set for Sunday evening at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A. Kim Seo-yeong qualified for the semifinals in

July 23, 2023

Friendship does wonders for artistic swimming tandem

South Korean artistic swimmers Byun Jae-jun and Kim Ji-hye have only been training and competing as a duo since April. But their friendship goes back much further -- to their elementary school days, in fact. Byun and Kim, now 20 and 19, were in the same class in first grade. Though they weren't doing artistic swimming then, they developed quick friendship that has lasted over a decade. And after wrapping up their first world championships together here on Saturday, they credited their perso

July 22, 2023

S. Korean swimmers head to Japan for world championships

Led by reigning silver medalist Hwang Sun-woo, the South Korean national swimming team headed to Japan on Thursday for the world championships. The World Aquatics Championships began last Friday in the port city of Fukuoka with artistic swimming and diving. Swimming races will begin Sunday and run through July 30. Lee Jeong-hoon, head coach of the swimming team, said he is pleased with the work his athletes have put in for the big event. "I think our preparation has gone the way we've

July 20, 2023

N. Korea submits preliminary list of entries for World Weightlifting Championships

North Korea has submitted a preliminary list of athletes to compete in the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships, raising expectations that the reclusive country may return to the international sports arena following years of COVID-19-related border shutdowns. According to the list unveiled by the International Weightlifting Federation on Saturday, the North has registered 16 athletes for the championships slated for Sept. 4-17 in Riyadh. If the participation is realized, it would mark the coun

July 8, 2023

AfreecaTV bolsters ties with World Union of Billiards in Portugal

AfreecaTV, one of South Korea’s biggest livestreaming platforms, met with global billiards industry officials at the venue of the Porto Three-Cushion World Cup in Portugal on Thursday to discuss ways to globally develop the billiards industry through its platform. AfreecaTV exclusively livestreamed two Three-Cushion World Cup tournaments, held in Portugal and Vietnam this year, respectively. “The key to the billiards industry’s success lies in a strong partnership with all the

July 3, 2023

As Asiad nears 100-day countdown, S. Korea eyes to bounce back in medal race

The 19th edition of the Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, last fall, had to be pushed back by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the host country. With that, South Korea's chance at redemption had to be on hold for another 12 months. The countdown for the Sept. 23--Oct. 8 competition will reach 100 days Thursday, and South Korea is set to send its largest-ever Asian Games delegation with 1,180 athletes and officials competing in all 40 sports. Despite the stated g

June 13, 2023

South Korea's An wins Thailand Open final

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Badminton women's singles world number two An Se-young smashed home victory at the final of the Thailand Open in Bangkok on Sunday, overcoming China's He Bingjiao. The 21-year-old South Korean came out roaring and was in knock-out form throughout the 21-10, 21-19 straight games victory in the Thai capital. World number five He fought back in the second game -- leading briefly by four points -- which featured some brilliant net play from both players. But she could not

June 4, 2023

Stars lift S. Korea to 2nd place at World Team Trophy in Figure Skating

Behind career-best performances by its two biggest stars, South Korea ranked second after the first day of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Team Trophy in Figure Skating on Thursday. Lee Hae-in, the reigning world silver medalist in the women's singles, won the short program with a personal-best 76.90 points at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo. By finishing first in her discipline, Lee scored 12 ranking points for South Korea. Her previous personal-best score of 73.62 points

April 13, 2023

Cha Jun-hwan wins historic silver at figure skating worlds

Cha Jun-hwan captured a historic silver medal at the figure skating world championships Saturday, becoming the first South Korean man to reach the podium at the annual competition. Cha finished with a new personal-best 296.03 points in the men's singles at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Shoma Uno of Japan won his second straight world title with 301.14 points. Ilia Malinin of the United States finished third with

March 25, 2023