Kim Kyung Ae (Gangneung City Hall), part of South Korea’s mixed doubles curling team, is resilient despite a rough start at the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games. After an unexpected blowout loss in their opening match, she vowed to bounce back and keep her sights on victory.
Teaming up with Seong Ji Hoon (Gangwon Provincial Office), Kim and Team Korea stumbled out of the gate, falling 12-6 to the Philippines in their first Group B preliminary match at the Pingfang Curling Arena in Harbin, China, on Tuesday.
South Korea had set ambitious goals for the tournament, eyeing a sweep of gold medals across three curling events, including mixed doubles. But their title hopes took an early hit when they struggled to adjust to the ice.
In the opening, Korea made costly mistakes and gave up five quick points, digging themselves into an early hole. Despite trying to mount a comeback with aggressive shot-making, they couldn’t close the gap and conceded even more points down the stretch.
Kim reflected on the loss, admitting their early struggles stemmed from failing to read the ice conditions. “We gave up a big score early on because we hadn’t figured out the ice yet,” she said. “From there, we had to take on difficult shots while our opponents played easily, making it harder and harder to execute our game plan.”
The mixed doubles event features 12 teams split into two groups. After the round-robin stage, the top team from each group advances directly to the semifinals, while the second and third-place teams battle in a playoff for the remaining spots. The final four will face off in a knockout bracket to determine the gold medal winner.
Despite the rough start, Kim remains confident about South Korea’s chances. “If we win out, we could still finish at the top of our group,” she said. “Even if we end up in third, we’ll have a shot at the semifinals. We can turn things around if we focus on reading the ice better and improving our shot-making.”
Kim has been on this stage before, a silver medalist in women’s curling at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. “Having competed in two Olympics and now my second Asian Games, I’ve gained valuable experience and grown as an athlete,” she said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve suffered a tough loss, so I won’t let it shake me. My focus is entirely on the next match.”
Even after missing the chance to secure South Korea’s first curling win of the Games, Kim remained upbeat. “It’s disappointing, but we’ll keep putting in the work,” she said with a smile.
Head coach Lim Myung Seob acknowledged the team’s struggles but pointed to the challenges of an opening match. “The first game and first end of a tournament are always tricky,” he said. “We didn’t adjust well to the ice, but our opponents did.”
Looking ahead, Lim emphasized the importance of adapting quickly. “Our goal is to get comfortable with the ice as soon as possible and target key wins against Qatar and China to stay in the hunt.”