Korea makes a splash with early sailing medals

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Published: 27 Sep. 2023, 11:18 Updated: 27 Sep. 2023, 22:57

Korea makes a splash with early sailing medals

Cho Won-woo of Korea leads the pack in the men's RS:X class at Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Center in Ningbo, China on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korea got off to a fast start on the water at the Asian Games this year, winning its first two medals in sailing early this week and putting it well on track to beat its three-medal finish at the last Asian Games in 2018.

Korean sailors Kim Jia and Cho Sung-min took bronze in the mixed 470 dinghy contest at the 19th Asiad on Tuesday.

Yoon Ji-su leaves it all on the piste to take individual sabre gold

They came behind Japan and China, with Kim at the helm and Cho as crew, with a fourth-place finish in the final race but an overall third in the cumulatively-scored sport.

Sailors compete during the Mixed Dinghy 470 Race at the 19th Asian Games in Ningbo, China on Sunday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

The sailing competitions took place at the Ningbo Xiangshan (NBX) Sailing Centre in Ningbo, China, a port city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.

The dinghy duos success followed an aquatic tour de force by windsurfer Cho Won-woo, who confidently locked down Korea's first sailing medal. Cho cruised to first place in the men’s windsurfer RS:X contest, defeating Thailand and India with plenty of room to spare.

Cho, 28, won all but one of the 14 races in the windsurfer RS:X contest. In the 10th race of the competition, which took place over six days, Cho lost by six seconds to Thailand’s Natthaphong Phonoppharat, who took silver.

His winning streak guaranteed him a gold-medal podium spot with to races still in hand by the end of Monday, although he had to wait until the last two races — both of which he won — were completed on Tuesday to officially take the title and top the podium.

Cho's incredible success in Ningbo earned his first major international multi-sport medal. He previously finished 17th at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and did not compete at the 2018 Asian Games, where Lee Tae-hoon of Korea took bronze.

Cho has seen some success at sport-specific events, winning the 2010 International Sailing Federation youth world championship and going on to earn two senior gold medals at the Asian Windsurfing Championships and a silver medal at the Asian Championships.

BY MARY YANG AND JIM BULLEY [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]