South Korean Divers Take Asian Games Bronze With Final-Round Comeback
Kim Na-hyun and Moon Na-yun moved from fourth to third on their final dive, earning South Korea’s first diving medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
South Korea’s Kim Na-hyun and Moon Na-yun won bronze in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform on Saturday, securing the country’s first diving medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after a decisive final-round recovery.
The pair finished the five-dive final at Tokyo Aquatics Centre with 276.90 points. They entered the last round in fourth place but produced a dive carrying a 3.2 degree of difficulty and received 64.32 points, enough to move into the bronze-medal position.
Kim and Moon had occupied second place after the opening two rounds before slipping down the standings. Their ability to recover on the final attempt ultimately separated them from the teams behind them and put South Korea on the diving medal table.
China’s Chen Yuxi and Lu Wei won the title with 347.82 points, maintaining China’s strength in international platform diving. North Korea’s Jo Jin-mi and Kim Mi-rae finished second on 317.64 points. Jo and Kim entered the competition as established international contenders after winning silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The final therefore placed teams from China, North Korea and South Korea on the podium, with a gap of 29.74 points between the silver and bronze medalists. South Korea’s result came through its strongest score at the moment of greatest pressure rather than through a steady hold on a podium place.
Synchronized platform diving requires both divers to execute the same movement while judges evaluate individual technique as well as timing and consistency between the pair. A mistake by either athlete can sharply reduce the combined score, making the late change in position especially significant for Kim and Moon.
For South Korea, the bronze opened the country’s medal account in diving at these Games and added to its broader campaign in Japan. It also gave the team a podium result against two pairs with substantially higher final totals, demonstrating that the Korean duo remained competitive through the last round despite losing their earlier position.
Kim and Moon’s final-round climb provided the defining moment of the event for South Korea. After losing ground over the middle stages, they delivered their most important dive when no further attempt remained, turning fourth place into a medal.