NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea captured gold in the men’s kayak four 500-meter final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, defeating China by just 0.255 seconds in a dramatic canoe-sprint finish.
The South Korean crew of Cho Gwang-hee, Kim Hyo-bin, Jang Sang-won and Choi Min-kyu crossed the finish line in 1 minute, 22.587 seconds at the Miyoshi Lake Canoe Course in Miyoshi, east of Nagoya.
China finished second in 1:22.842, while Japan took bronze in 1:25.909.
The razor-thin victory also gave South Korea its first gold medal in canoe sprint at the 2026 Asian Games.
A Finish Decided by Less Than a Quarter of a Second
The final margin highlighted just how close the race was.
South Korea had already shown its strength during qualifying on Wednesday, when the four-man crew won its heat in 1:25.383 and advanced directly to the final.
The team then produced a significantly faster performance in the medal race, cutting more than two seconds from its qualifying time to finish in 1:22.587.
The victory was particularly significant because China had prevented South Korea from taking the men’s K4 500m title at the previous two Asian Games, according to Korean domestic reporting.
This time, the Korean crew held off China at the finish to claim the top step of the podium.
Four Paddlers Deliver South Korea’s Breakthrough
The gold medal was shared by Cho Gwang-hee, Kim Hyo-bin, Jang Sang-won and Choi Min-kyu, who combined for South Korea’s first canoe-sprint title of these Games.
Cho and Kim were also entered in the men’s kayak double 500m. In qualifying, their pair finished second in 1:33.250, just 0.351 seconds behind the Japanese crew that won their heat.
That means the Korean canoe-sprint team entered the competition with several medal opportunities, after all four of its events on the opening day advanced to finals.
Why the Gold Matters
Canoe sprint is contested on a straight course, with athletes racing over set distances. Kayaks use double-bladed paddles, while canoe events use single-bladed paddles.
The 2026 Asian Games canoe-sprint competition is being staged at Miyoshi Lake Canoe Course from September 23 to 27, with the men’s K4 500m among the 12 events on the program.
For South Korea, Thursday’s result provides an early highlight in its canoe-sprint campaign—and demonstrates how a race lasting barely over 82 seconds can come down to a fraction of a second.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
