NAGOYA, Japan — South Korean rower Park Hyun-su delivered a podium finish at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, winning bronze in the lightweight men’s single sculls after a dramatic battle over the final 500 meters.
Park completed the 2,000-meter final at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course in 6 minutes, 53.35 seconds, securing third place and South Korea’s first rowing medal of the Games.
Hong Kong’s Chiu Hin-chun captured gold in 6:50.32, while Iran’s Amirhossein Mahmoodpour Shahrestani took silver in 6:52.59.
Park Was in Silver-Medal Position With 500 Meters Left
The race remained tightly contested deep into the final.
Park was third at the halfway point before moving into second place at the 1,500-meter mark, recording a split of 5:10.52 and briefly gaining an advantage over the Iranian challenger.
But Mahmoodpour Shahrestani produced the fastest final 500 meters among the six finalists, overtaking Park before the finish and moving into silver-medal position.
Park held on for bronze, finishing just 3.03 seconds behind the gold-medal winner.
An Asian Games Return Eight Years in the Making
The bronze has particular significance for Park.
The 30-year-old previously won gold in the same lightweight men’s single sculls event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
The lightweight event was subsequently removed from the Asian Games program for Hangzhou in 2023 before returning at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Park’s bronze therefore marks his return to the Asian Games podium after an eight-year gap.
South Korean reports also noted the physical demands of Park’s return to the lightweight category. Aju News reported that Park reduced his weight by 15 kilograms as he prepared for the event.
South Korea’s Rowing Team Entered the Games Under a Compressed Schedule
Park’s medal came after a difficult buildup for the Korean rowing team.
SBS News reported before the finals that the rowing competition schedule had been reduced from an originally planned five days to two days, creating a compressed competition timetable.
Despite the shortened schedule, South Korean rowers reached the finals in five events, including Park’s lightweight men’s single sculls. Park had advanced from his preliminary heat after finishing second in 7:21.40.
The final results showed just how competitive the event was. Hong Kong’s Chiu eventually moved into the lead with 500 meters remaining, while Iran’s Mahmoodpour Shahrestani overtook Park in the closing stretch to secure silver.
More Korean Rowers Missed the Podium
Park was South Korea’s only rowing medalist on Thursday.
Kim Ji-sun finished fifth in the lightweight women’s single sculls in 7:54.79, while the women’s double sculls team of Kim Seung-hyun and Park Ji-yoon finished fourth in 7:05.82.
In the men’s coxless pair, Moon Jong-won and Kang Min-seong also placed fourth with a time of 6:40.34.
For Park, however, the result adds another Asian Games medal to a career that already includes an individual gold.
His bronze in Nagoya may not have repeated his 2018 triumph, but it puts South Korean rowing back on the Asian Games podium — and does so in an event that had only just returned to the program.
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