Remaining Major Gold Medal Candidates for the Asian Games
Archery
: There are still 5 recurve events and 2 compound events remaining.
I predict 4 gold medals.
Taekwondo
: The 2 Poomsae events are practically guaranteed for Korea,
and in Kyorugi (sparring), which includes virtual events for a total of 9 events, we can expect about 2 wins.
World champions like Kang Sang-hyun and Olympic champion Kim Yu-jin are very strong candidates. The men's national team, including two-event participant Ahn Hyang-sik and Moon Jin-ho, who has been sweeping the recent Grand Prix series with fearsome momentum, is of the highest international caliber. As many major powerhouses in the women's division retired around the Paris Olympics, medal hunting is very much possible.
I predict 4 gold medals.
Shooting
: The men's rapid fire pistol event started yesterday. They are currently 1st in the team event. Since it looks like 2 people can participate in the individual event as well, Lee Keon-hyuk and others will be aiming for gold.
I predict 1 final additional gold medal.
Judo
: Four medal candidates have been identified (Heo Mi-mi, Lee Jun-hwan, Lee Hyun-ji, Kim Min-jong), and if they perform well in the heavyweight divisions, they could even aim for team gold medals. (Japan usually sends their B-team to the Asian Games for Judo)
I predict 2 gold medals.
Football/E-sports (League of Legends)
I predict 1–2 gold medals. No further explanation is needed.
Golf
Men's golf, featuring PGA members, had a good start in Round 1. Since there is also a team event, two golds could potentially come at once. In women's golf, Chinese-speaking stars Yin Ruoning and Zheng Qianyu are competing, so I initially predict no gold, but you never know.
I predict 1–2 gold medals.
A minimum of 13 and a maximum of 16 gold medals are foreseeable.
Adding this to the current 24, that makes 37–40 gold medals. Actually, I think even more is possible... but I am being modest.
Still, to Japanese supporters, mentioning 40 might seem a bit weak, right?
Then let's look at what follows.
For the next events, while gold isn't certain, 2–3 gold medals are definitely possible across all disciplines.
(1) Sailing (Dinghy) Ha Ji-min: Currently 2nd in the qualifying race, and a legend in Asian sailing.
(2) Jiu-jitsu Koo Bon-cheol/Seong Gi-ra/Lim Eon-ju: Jiu-jitsu is an event that has been bringing in about one gold medal recently, and the strong medalists from the past are still going strong domestically.
(3) Climbing Seo Chae-hyun/Lee Do-hyun: Climbing is indeed a difficult discipline due to the momentum of Japan. However, Seo Chae-hyun took 1st place in the boulder qualifying yesterday. In lead, Lee Do-hyun has made the top 4 alongside Japan's Neo Suzuki and Yoshida Satone, and Indonesia's Tri Ramadhani. Finally, in the women's lead category, Mori Ai and Seo Chae-hyun are among the top 3 strongest in the world. Perhaps one gold.
(4) Boxing Kim Min-seong/Jang Dong-hwan: Actually, in the 60kg class, Jang Dong-hwan's final opponent is an Olympic champion... so it won't be easy. However, there is no reason to rule out Kim Min-seong's chances in the 80kg class. Both have already reached the finals.
(5) Cycling Choi Tae-ho: A rising star in the world as a new prospect in Keirin.
(6) Equestrian: Having already won the first Asian Games gold in dressage in 12 years, they are aiming for additional medals in the remaining matches.
(7) Tennis Men's Doubles Nam Ji-sung/Cho: They were underdogs but have already reached the semifinals.
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