"First Away Gold Medal in 44 Years"... South Korea men's national basketball team defeats Japan to reach Asian Games summit for the first time in 12 years
The South Korea men's national basketball team won the gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games by defeating the host nation, Japan. This victory marks their first Asian Games title in 12 years and their first away tournament victory in 44 years.
[News & Book = Reporter Song Young-du] The South Korea men's national basketball team defeated the host nation, Japan, to claim the Asian Games gold medal for the first time in 12 years.
The South Korea men's national basketball team, led by head coach Nikolajs Mazurs, defeated Japan 67-57 in the men's basketball final of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 20th.
With this, South Korean basketball has reclaimed the summit for the first time in 12 years since the 2014 Incheon tournament. Furthermore, they have embraced their 5th total championship trophy, following wins in 1970, 1982, 2002, and 2014.
In particular, excluding tournaments held at home such as Busan in 2002 and Incheon in 2014, this victory holds even more significance as it is an away tournament championship achieved for the first time in a whopping 44 years since the 1982 New Delhi, India tournament.
On this day, the team's 'ace' Lee Hyun-jung dominated both offense and defense, recording a powerful 'double-double' with 27 points and 18 rebounds. Lee Jung-hyun also led the victory, recording 14 points and 7 assists.
Despite questionable officiating from the start of the game and the cheering of the host nation Japan's home crowd, the national team demonstrated strong concentration to secure the victory.
Covers K-drama for NEWSNBOOK GLOBAL, and also writes about K-pop and Culture.
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