(Asiad) Japan-born basketball player for S. Korea ready to show growth before family, friends

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NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- Playing at an Asian Games is a special occasion for many athletes, but this year's competition carries extra meaning for the South Korean women's basketball forward Hong Yu-sun.

The 21-year-old was born to South Korean parents in Osaka, some 140 kilometers west of the main Asian Games host city of Nagoya, and stayed there through her high school years.

Hong dropped out of a college in Osaka to enter the draft for the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) and went first overall before the 2024-25 season. She lived up to the hype by winning the Rookie of the Year award, while becoming the first rookie in WKBL history to record four consecutive double-doubles.

She now finds herself wearing the South Korean flag in her first Asian Games.

Hong Yu-sun of South Korea (R) takes a shot against Malaysia during the teams' Group C game of the women's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

"When I play in Korea, many of my friends and family can't come to see me. But now that I am in Japan, a lot of people have already told me they will come and cheer me on," Hong said Friday after helping South Korea beat Malaysia 106-40 in their first Group C game at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya. Hong led the team with 12 rebounds and chipped in nine points.

"I want to be able to show them how much I have grown since high school," Hong added. "I don't know how many minutes I will get to play at the tournament. But whenever I am on the floor, I will give my best and battle hard in the post."

Hong said her mother did not make it to Friday's game, which began at 10 a.m., but will be in Nagoya starting South Korea's second game, against Mongolia on Monday, along with about a dozen relatives.

"I have had a lot of friends reach out," said Hong, who attended a middle school for students of Korean descent. "They all told me they wanted to come see me play and congratulated me."

Hong said she would love to face Japan in the knockout stage in Nagoya. Japan is favored to make the quarterfinals out of Group B.

"The Japanese team has players that I have been following for a long time, and some of them are around my age," she said. "If I had stayed put in Japan, I would not have had an opportunity like this. After I moved to Korea, I became a much better player and made the national team. I am really excited, and I really hope I can play better against Japan."

Hong Yu-sun of South Korea (C) tries to drive to the basket against Malaysia during the teams' Group C game of the women's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

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(Asiad) Japan-born basketball player for S. Korea ready to show growth before family, friends

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日本名古屋，9月19日（韩联社）——参加亚运会对于许多运动员来说都是一次特殊的经历，但今年的比赛对于韩国女篮前锋洪裕善来说意义非凡。

这位 21 岁的女孩出生于大阪，父母都是韩国人。大阪位于亚运会主要举办城市名古屋以西约 140 公里处。她在大阪度过了高中时光。

洪金宝从大阪的一所大学辍学，参加了韩国女子篮球联赛（WKBL）的选秀，并在2024-25赛季前被选中成为状元。她不负众望，赢得了年度最佳新秀奖，并成为WKBL历史上第一位连续四个赛季取得两双的新秀。

如今，她首次代表韩国参加亚运会。

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会女子篮球C组比赛中，韩国选手洪裕善（右）对阵马来西亚队时投篮。（韩联社）

“在韩国打球的时候，很多亲朋好友都不能来看我。但现在我在日本，已经有很多人告诉我他们会来为我加油了。”洪在周五帮助韩国队在名古屋爱知国际体育馆以106比40战胜马来西亚队，赢得C组首场比赛后说道。洪在比赛中抢下全队最高的12个篮板，并贡献了9分。

“我想向他们展示我从高中到现在进步了多少，”洪补充道。“我不知道自己能在比赛中获得多少上场时间。但只要上场，我就会全力以赴，在内线拼尽全力。”

洪女士表示，她的母亲没能到场观看周五上午 10 点开始的比赛，但周一韩国队对阵蒙古队的第二场比赛开始时，她的母亲将和十几位亲戚一起前往名古屋观战。

“很多朋友都联系了我，”洪说道，她曾就读于一所韩裔学生中学。“他们都说想来看我比赛，并祝贺我。”

洪表示她非常希望能在名古屋的淘汰赛阶段与日本队交锋。日本队被认为是B组晋级四分之一决赛的热门球队。

“日本队里有很多我一直关注的球员，其中一些和我年龄相仿，”她说。“如果我留在日本，就不会有这样的机会。搬到韩国后，我的球技突飞猛进，最终入选了国家队。我非常兴奋，也真心希望能在对阵日本的比赛中发挥得更好。”

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会女子篮球C组比赛中，韩国球员洪裕善（中）试图突破马来西亚队的防守上篮。（韩联社）

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