Toyohashi:South Korea's Song Da-bin clinched the gold medal in the women's +67-kilogram taekwondo category at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday. Competing at the Toyohashi Gymnasium, Song defeated China's Mu Wenzhe 2-1 in the final match.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this victory marks South Korea's first taekwondo gold in the "kyorugi" or sparring event at this year's Asian Games held in Japan. Previously, South Korea secured two gold medals in the poomsae event, which focuses on taekwondo patterns and sequences.
Song's achievement is notable as she becomes the first South Korean to win gold in the women's +67kg category since Lee Da-bin's victory in the 2018 Asian Games. Song maintained an unbeaten record throughout the tournament leading up to the final.
In the closely contested final, Song won the first round 4-2 but lost the second round 10-4 due to a series of kicks from her opponent. She regained control in the third round, securing a lead of 6-2 with 50 seconds left. Despite Mu's effort to narrow the gap with a head kick, Song confirmed her victory with a final score of 8-5 thanks to a decisive body kick.