A gold medal event emerges for the first time in 40 years: 2009-born gymnast Hwang Seo-hyun wins women's balance beam [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Hwang Seo-hyun (17, Incheon High School) of the women's artistic gymnastics team has won the gold medal in the women's balance beam event at the Asian Games. This marks the first time a Korean athlete has won the women's balance beam since the 1986 Seoul Games.

On the 25th, Hwang Seo-hyun scored 14.700 points to claim first place on the podium in the women's balance beam final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at RAINBOW Hall of the Nagoya General Gymnasium in Japan. China's Zhu Chi-yuan and Japan's Okamura Mana finished behind her.

Earlier, Hwang Seo-hyun advanced to the final with a score of 13.966 points, placing fifth in the preliminary round. In the final, she delivered a stable performance with the highest difficulty level among all competitors, immediately rising to first place. The victory was confirmed after North Korea's Park Un-jeong, who performed last, scored only 12.700 points.

With this win, Hwang Seo-hyun becomes the first athlete to win the women's balance beam at the Asian Games since Seo Seon-aeng in the 1986 Seoul Games — a span of 40 years. This is also the fifth gold medal ever won by a Korean female artistic gymnast at the Asian Games.

Hwang Seo-hyun previously topped the podium in both the balance beam event at last year's Jecheon Asian Championships and the National Sports Festival. She also earned a bronze medal in the balance beam at this year's Asian Championships.

She was added to the team through an additional selection process for this Asian Games and immediately claimed first place on the podium from her very first appearance, writing a new chapter in artistic gymnastics history.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.