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Curling duo nabs silver in mixed doubles against Japan in Asian Games

Published: 08 Feb. 2025, 11:55 Updated: 08 Feb. 2025, 13:35

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Korean curlers Kim Kyeong-ae, center left, and Seong Ji-hoon, center right, compete in the mixed doubles final against Koana Tori and Aoki Go of Japan at Harbin Pingfang District Curling Arena in Harbin, China on Feb. 8. [YONHAP]

Curler Kim Kyeong-ae added to her list of honors on the international stage by winning a silver medal in the mixed doubles final at the 2025 Asian Winter Games on Saturday with Seong Ji-hoon.

Although the final result was a 6-5 loss to Koana Tori and Aoki Go of Japan at Harbin Pingfang District Curling Arena in Harbin, China, it still marks another achievement after the Kim-Seong duo’s gold medal at the Korean Mixed Doubles Championship in July last year.

For Kim, Saturday’s silver was her second consecutive Asiad medal after her first silver in the team event at the 2017 tournament, while it was Seong’s first medal at the Asiad and his greatest glory on the international stage.

Saturday’s medal is another achievement in Kim’s successful career, which includes a silver medal in the team event at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics that allowed her to rise to prominence with Team Kim — composed of Kim Kyeong-ae and four other members all surnamed Kim: Kim Eun-jung, Kim Cho-hi, Kim Seon-yeong and Kim Yeong-mi.

The team made history not only for winning a silver medal in a sport that was practically unheard of in Korea but also for their remarkable sportsmanship and team spirit. The five former classmates from Uiseong Girls' High School in rural North Gyeongsang captured hearts with their unity.

The Kim-Seong duo’s silver medal brings Korea’s medal count in curling at the Asiad to seven. Korea has been one of the most serious contenders in curling at the Asian Games as one of only three countries to have medaled in the sport alongside Japan and China.

The duo’s medal also makes them the first pair to claim silver in the mixed doubles event, which took place for the first time in the Asiad.

More action from Team Korea will unfold in the Asian Games, last held in 2017 with the cancellation of the 2021 tournament due to Covid-19.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]