[Asian Games] Korean basketball sweeps 4 medals, but challenges remain at home

Korean basketball is enjoying a rare moment of across-the-board success at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, securing medals in all four men’s and women’s 5x5 and 3x3 events, a striking international resurgence for a sport that has struggled for attention, infrastructure and stable pipeline at home. The men’s 5x5 team, coached by Latvia’s Nikolajs Mazurs, ended a 12-year Asian Games title drought by defeating host Japan 67-57 in the final, Sunday. The men’s 3x3 squad followed Friday with Korea’s first Asian Games gold in the discipline, defeating Qatar 19-10. Korea’s women’s 3x3 team also claimed its first Asian Games medal, beating Thailand 21-8 for bronze. The women’s 5x5 side, meanwhile, secured at least silver by defeating China 85-80 in the semifinals and advancing to Saturday night’s final against Japan. For a sport whose domestic profile has long fallen from its 1990s peak, the results have offered an unusual burst of optimism. “The men’s gold was the result of a challenge taken on by everyone — the players, the coaching staff and the federation,” basketbal