South Korean sailor Ha Jee-min has reclaimed the Asian Games men’s dinghy title, delivering South Korea its first sailing gold medal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.
Ha finished first in the men’s dinghy event at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori on Friday, Oct. 2, securing his fourth Asian Games gold medal in the event.
The victory completes a remarkable return to the top for Ha, who previously won the same event at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Asian Games. He settled for silver at the 2022 Hangzhou Games before returning to the top of the podium in Japan.
Ha Controls the Race From the Start
Ha entered the final stage in a commanding position after topping the leaderboard through the nine-race opening series.
The sailing competition uses a points system based on finishing positions, with the lowest overall score determining the winner. The top 10 sailors after the opening series advanced to the two-race final, with each competitor allowed to discard their worst race result.
Ha finished third in the first final race and sixth in the second, recording nine points without penalty points.
Hong Kong’s Halliday Nicholas Bezy won the final race sequence with first- and third-place finishes, but his overall score of 11 points, including seven penalty points, left him behind Ha.
Malaysia’s Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy completed the podium with bronze, while Halliday took silver.
A Fourth Asian Games Gold
For Ha, the victory adds another chapter to one of South Korea’s most successful Asian Games sailing careers.
His first three gold medals came consecutively in 2010, 2014 and 2018. His silver medal in Hangzhou ended that run, but the 2026 competition gave him another opportunity to reclaim the title.
That opportunity ended with Ha back on top.
The result also gave South Korea its first sailing gold medal of the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Games, adding another milestone to Ha’s already decorated Asian Games record.
South Korea’s Sailing Breakthrough
Ha’s victory is particularly significant for South Korea’s sailing team, which had collected medals in previous Asian Games editions but had yet to secure a gold in sailing at the 2026 competition.
His performance in Gamagori changed that.
With his fourth Asian Games gold in the men’s dinghy event, Ha once again demonstrated his longevity at the continental level—and turned a comeback from his 2022 silver into another Asian Games championship.
For South Korea, the medal is more than another entry in the country’s Asian Games tally. It is the nation’s first sailing gold of Aichi-Nagoya 2026, delivered by a veteran sailor who has now returned to the top of his event.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
