Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong: "Proud of Gwangju Athletes Who Did Their Best"

Congratulatory Message to Affiliated Athletes and Officials Participating in the Asian Games

"The Taeguk Warriors who brightly shone at the Hangzhou Asian Games! Our Gwangju athletes, who demonstrated the strength of the sports city Gwangju, are truly admirable and commendable. Thank you for your hard work."

Kang Gi-jung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, sent a congratulatory message on the 9th to the Gwangju city delegation, including 22 athletes and officials who competed fiercely at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Mayor Kang said, "Thanks to all of you, we fully enjoyed great joy and happiness," and added, "Especially during these tiring and difficult times, thank you for giving us much courage. I will always support you with a passionate heart."

He also comforted the athletes who did not win medals, saying, "Final results vary for each athlete, but every athlete has overcome a great mountain and grown even bigger."

He did not forget to congratulate the coaching staff and officials who led the athletes while sweating together.

Mayor Kang said, "Thank you very much for leading the athletes with passionate dedication and showing the power of the sports city Gwangju," and added, "I will wait with a joyful heart for your pleasant return journey."

The Gwangju city delegation, which shone for Gwangju, contributed to South Korea's overall 3rd place finish by winning a total of 15 medals: 6 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze at the Asian Games.

Modern pentathlon athlete Jeon Woong-tae (Gwangju City Workplace Sports Team) became the first Korean athlete to win two gold medals (individual and team), successfully defending his title for the second consecutive Asian Games following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

In women's team fencing, Kang Young-mi (Gwangju Seo-gu Office) won a precious gold medal for the first time in 21 years, and cyclist Lee Joo-mi (Korea Sports Promotion Foundation / Gwangju representative at the National Sports Festival) earned a bronze medal.

Diver Lee Jae-kyung (Gwangju Sports Council) also shone brightly. She won silver medals in both the synchronized 10m platform and 3m springboard events, as well as a bronze medal in the 3m springboard, securing a total of three medals.

Park Ha-reum (Gwangju Sports Council) won a bronze medal in her first Asian Games appearance, and canoeist Jung Joo-hwan (Korea Sports Promotion Foundation / Gwangju representative at the National Sports Festival) took home a silver medal.

The men's 400m relay team members Kim Guk-young (Gwangju City Workplace Sports Team) and Go Seung-hwan (Gwangju City Workplace Sports Team) tied the Korean national record for the first time in 37 years and won a bronze medal. Coach Noh Seung-seok, also from the Gwangju City Workplace Sports Team, contributed to this achievement.

In women's recurve archery team, Choi Mi-sun (Gwangju Bank) and An San (Gwangju Women's University) won their first-ever Asian Games gold medals, leading the dominant Korean women's archery team to achieve their 7th consecutive Asian Games team title. Subsequently, An San won a silver medal in the individual final, competing against the youngest team member Lim Si-hyun.

On the last day of the competition, baseball players Choi Ji-min and Choi Won-jun (KIA Tigers) and soccer player Jung Ho-yeon (Gwangju FC) each won gold medals.

Meanwhile, ahead of the opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Mayor Kang Gi-jung sent encouragement cards to the Gwangju city delegation of 23 athletes across 14 sports.

During the Asian Games, he also sent congratulatory messages to the medal-winning athletes, saying, "The citizens of Gwangju are cheering with passionate hearts and are proud and grateful. Let's meet again in good health without injury until the day you return."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.