Asian Games S. Korea's Jung Ha-eun wins gold in taekwondo poomsae
Summary
South Korea's Jung Ha-eun won the women’s taekwondo poomsae gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday in Toyohashi. Her victory gave South Korea its first taekwondo gold in the competition. Jung beat the Philippines’ Juliana Mykhail Candelaria, while Thailand’s Thitaree Kaewolanwasu and Japan’s Yuiko Niwa took bronze.
Key Facts
- Jung scored 9.3100 in the women’s individual poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium, about 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya.
- Juliana Mykhail Candelaria of the Philippines won silver with 9.1300 points.
- Thitaree Kaewolanwasu of Thailand took bronze with 9.0400 points, and Yuiko Niwa of Japan also took bronze with 8.9100 points.
- Jung scored 9.320 points in her first routine, including 3.700 for accuracy and 5.620 for presentation.
- She earned 9.300 in her second performance, with 5.560 for technique and 3.740 for presentation; her final score was the average of the two routines.
South Korea's Jung Ha-eun performs during the semifinals of the women's taekwondo individual poomsae at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Japan, Thursday. Yonhap
South Korea's Jung Ha-eun won the gold medal in the women's taekwondo poomsae at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country its first taekwondo gold in the ongoing competition.
In the women's individual poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Jung won 9.3100 to top the podium.
Juliana Mykhail Candelaria of the Philippines won the silver medal with 9.1300 points, while bronze medals went to Thitaree Kaewolanwasu of Thailand with 9.0400 and Yuiko Niwa of Japan with 8.9100.
She became the second female gold medalist poomsae practitioner at the Asiad, following Cha Yea-eun who won the event's title at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
South Korea had won one gold and one bronze in the individual event and one silver in the team event since the discipline became an official Asian Games event in 2018.
Jung scored 9.320 points in her first routine, receiving 3.700 points for accuracy and 5.620 for presentation. In her second performance, she earned 5.560 points for technique and 3.740 for presentation, for a total of 9.300.
Her final score was the average of the scores from the two routines.
Jung started her taekwondo career at the age of 8 and chose to specialize in poomsae when she was in her second year of high school.
She won the gold medal in the pair event at the 2024 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
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