South Korea defeated hosts Japan 67-57 in the men’s basketball final on Sunday to win the Asian Games gold medal in Nagoya.
The victory ended Japan’s hopes of winning gold on home soil and gave South Korea their first men’s basketball title since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
Lee Hyun-jun Leads South Korea
Lee Hyun-jun was the standout performer for South Korea, finishing with 27 points, including five three-pointers.
The Korean forward played a key role in a closely contested game and helped his team pull away in the second half.
“I’m unbelievably happy,” Lee said. “More than anything I’m extremely grateful to my teammates.”
Korea Pull Away After Tight First Half
The two teams were level at 28-28 after a closely fought first half.
South Korea, however, came out strongly after the break and took control during the third quarter. Their experience helped them build a 55-47 lead, creating a gap Japan could not overcome.
Japan also struggled with its shooting at crucial moments, allowing South Korea to maintain its advantage until the final buzzer.
Emotional Celebrations for Korean Team
South Korea’s players celebrated emotionally after securing the gold medal, with the squad gathering around Latvian coach Nikolajs Mazurs.
Lee paid tribute to Mazurs and highlighted the challenges the coach faced while working away from home.
“Our foreign coach, he went through a great deal. He came here alone, without his own full coaching staff, to work in a foreign country,” Lee said.
The emotional Lee added that winning championships often brings him to tears.
“I always seem to cry when I win a championship. The feeling of winning is so wonderful,” he said.
Japan Settle for Silver
Japan’s Ren Kanechika was the team’s leading scorer with 13 points.
Kanechika admitted his disappointment after Japan fell short of its goal of winning gold.
“I’m disappointed because we were aiming to win gold,” he said. “We slumped in the second half.”
He also acknowledged South Korea’s strong performance after the interval.
South Korea Win Fourth Asian Games Gold
The triumph marked South Korea’s fourth men’s basketball gold medal in Asian Games history and their first since 2014.
The result also extended their successful record in the competition and capped a memorable campaign in Nagoya.
Earlier, Iran defeated China 79-70 to claim the bronze medal.
China led 31-29 at half-time, but Iran turned the game around in the third quarter, taking a 55-46 advantage before holding off China’s late fightback.
Iran’s Arsalan Kazemi, a 202cm power forward who was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2013 but never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, described the achievement as an emotional moment.
“To be honest with you I’m just speechless,” Kazemi said, while also highlighting the immense pressure the team faced.