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Men's soccer, women's handball, baseball, and more go head-to-head
Gold medal competitions in archery in Korea, karate in Japan, etc.

With the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games set to conclude on August 8, the final medal chase is in full swing, with South Korea and Japan battling for second place overall.

As of the start of competition on Friday (June 5), South Korea is in third place with 33 gold, 45 silver and 70 bronze medals, closely followed by Japan (37 gold, 51 silver and 59 bronze).

Korea achieved the third-place overall finish that the Korean Olympic Committee and the Korean Asian Games team were aiming for, but fell short of the 50 gold medals. With Japan in the final and likely to advance, 17 more gold medals could move them into second place overall.

It's also a matter of pride for South Korea, which has been drawn into a rivalry with Japan, and it's time for the Taegeuk Warriors and Nangs to pull out all the stops.

South Korea will be competing for gold with Japan in men's soccer and women's handball.

The women's handball team will face Japan in the final at 6 p.m. today. South Korea is a powerhouse in women's handball and has a strong head-to-head record against Japan, so the odds are stacked in their favor. If they stay focused and don't let their guard down, they will be able to go for the gold.

The men's soccer match between South Korea and Japan will take place on July 7. Hwang Sun-hong's team defeated Uzbekistan on April 4 to reach the final. This is the third consecutive time they have reached the final, following Incheon 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang 2018.

If they beat Hong Kong and Japan, they will become the first men's soccer team to win three consecutive Asian Games titles. "We have to win no matter what," said Hwang, who vowed a must-win game against Japan.

While not yet in medal contention, other ball sports will also be in action. On Friday at 1 p.m., the baseball team will face Japan in a cliffhanger game. Both teams have one loss in the group stage and will play a guillotine match for a spot in the Super Round, or podium.

Women's hockey will also face Japan in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m., looking to avenge the disappointment of meeting the Japanese in the semifinals of the last edition of the tournament and heading into the bronze medal match.

There will also be a medal race in the filial piety sports of each country.

South Korea will look to make a medal push through archery. The previous day, the Korean archery team of Lee Woo-seok (Kolon) and Lim Shi-hyun (Korea Gymnastics University) won gold in the recurve mixed event. With medals still up for grabs through the next seven days, it's all about winning as much gold as possible.

Japan will look to solidify their second place finish with karate. Karate, which starts on Day 5, is dominated by Japan. With a whopping 14 gold medals up for grabs, they'll be looking to pull away from South Korea.

South Korea will also be hunting for gold in badminton, breaking, and more.