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| Members of South Korean men's basketball team celebrate after defeating Iran 79-77 in the dramatic final match at the Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon, Friday, to win the Asiad gold for the first time in 12 years. / Yonhap |
By Kim Tae-jong
South Korea clinched gold in the men's basketball after defeating Iran 79-77 in a dramatic final match, Friday, reclaiming the Asiad title for the first time in 12 years.
It was another impressive achievement for the country's basketball players, following the women's gold the previous day.
The South Koreans were five points behind their opponent with 2 minutes left in the final quarter but overturned the lead to 76-75 with a three-pointer by Yang Dong-geun and two pointer with one free throw by Kim Jong-kyu.
Successfully dodging the Iranian's chase up to 78-77, the Korean cemented their lead after scoring one point in a free throw with 14 seconds remaining.
Moon Tae-jong was one of the players who shone for the side with 19 points ― the highest. The 39-year-old forward is a naturalized South Korean who was born to an African-American father and a Korean mother.
Gold from boxing for first time in 12 years
South Korean boxers won two golds and two silvers Friday, the final day of the boxing competition and a day before the closing ceremony of the Asian Games.
Light flyweight Shin Jong-hun defeated Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan to win the gold on a unanimous 3-0 decision.
With the victory, he garnered his country its first Asiad gold in 12 years, after the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
Later, bantam boxer Ham Sang-myeong joined Shin by beating Zhang Jiawei of China, also on a 3-0 decision. Another South Korean boxer, Lim Hyun-chul in the light welterweight class, settled for silver after being defeated by Thailand's Wuttichai Masuk.
Overall, South Korea has achieved its best results in the sport at the Asiad with two golds, three silvers and one bronze.
One more gold in taekwondo, bronze in volleyball
South Korean Kim Tae-hun claimed the country's sixth gold in taekwondo by defeating Chinese Taipei's Huang Yu Jen in the men's under 54 kg event at Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium.
With Kim's gold, the country swept six golds out of 16 available in the sport along with two silvers and two bronzes.
South Korea gained another bronze from the men's volleyball with a come-from-behind victory over China.
The host country's team lost the first set but swept the latter three sets in the bronze-medal contest in the Songnim Gymnasium.
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