17th Asian Games INCHEON 2014

Now, midway through the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, host country South Korea was able to scoop up more medals in swimming, fencing, shooting, gymnastics and weightlifting later on Thursday. South Korea’s baseball and football teams are also well on the way to their gold medal race. And on Friday afternoon, two gold medals came from horseback riding.



South Korean riders won gold medals in Eventing Team and Individual disciplines at the Incheon Asian Games Equestrian Eventing competition on Friday afternoon, with rider Song Song Sang-wook capturing two gold medals.



Swimmer Park Tae-hwan won a silver medal in the men’s 100-meter freestyle on Thursday. With this precious silver, his 19th Asiad medal, the 25-year-old swimmer nicknamed “Marine Boy” tied a record with former shooter Park Byung-taek for most Asian Games medals by a South Korean athlete.



Adding a silver medal in the women’s epee team event and a bronze in the men’s foil team competition, the South Korean fencing team completed its race at the Incheon Asian Games on Thursday. In fencing alone at this year’s Asiad, South Korea earned a record eight gold medals, six silvers and three bronzes, boding well for the future in this sport event.



South Korean shooters picked up one team silver and an individual bronze in the men’s 50m rifle prone shooting on Thursday. More medals came on Friday morning, including a silver in the women’s rife three-position team event and a bronze in the men’s 25-meter fire pistol team competition.



In gymnastics, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Yang Hak-seon won the silver medal in the men’s vault competition, failing to defend his Asiad title from the 2010 Guangzhou games. It was widely anticipated that Yang and famous North Korean gymnast Ri Se-kwang would compete for the gold, but it turned out that neither of the gymnasts from the two Koreas were able to capture the gold. In a surprise twist, it was Hong Kong’s Shek Wai Hung who took the top position on the podium, with Ri failing to make the podium. Meanwhile, South Korean gymnast Yoon Na-rae won her second bronze at the Asian Games in the women’s floor exercise event, the first South Korean medal in this event in 12 years.



Also on Thursday, South Korea won its first medal in weightlifting at the Incheon Asian Games, with Lee Chang-ho grabbing the bronze in the men’s 94-kilogram class. With this long-awaited medal, Korea was able to end a medal drought in weightlifting.



South Korea, the defending Asia baseball champion, trounced Hong Kong 12-0 for its third straight baseball victory on Thursday. The South Korean football team also beat Hong Kong 3-0 in the round of 16.



Swimmer Park Tae-hwan’s medal race isn’t over yet. He might pocket even more medals, as he will compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle race and the 400-meter medley relay on Friday evening.



The South Korean women’s team will face off against Chinese Taipei in their quarterfinals match at 8:00 p.m.



Currently, South Korea ranks second in the medal standing with 30 gold medals, 36 silvers and 33 bronzes.