No Si-hwan dismisses criticism of baseball team: 'We won gold — I don't care'

No Si-hwan, the 26-year-old captain of South Korea's national baseball team and a Hanwha Eagles player, said he has no interest in the public criticism directed at the squad.

South Korea's national baseball team, led by Manager Ryu Ji-hyeon, defeated Japan 3-1 in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, claiming the gold medal.

The victory extended South Korea's streak to five consecutive gold medals dating back to the 2010 Guangzhou Games, but the road to the title was far from smooth. The team suffered a humiliating 0-5 loss to Japan — a squad composed entirely of amateur players — during the super round.

The final-round victory provided relief, but criticism had been mounting in the lead-up to it.

Captain No, however, was unmoved by the outside noise.

When reporters asked after the game whether he was concerned about voices questioning South Korean baseball's competitiveness, No was blunt. "Honestly, I don't care about any of that," he said. "We won gold, didn't we?"

"I think the result — the gold medal — matters more than the process," he added. "I'm not paying attention to any of that talk."

The hard-fought path to the title only made the gold feel sweeter.

"I'm just so happy," No said with a laugh. "The gold medal makes me think back on everything we went through, which makes it even better. Because it's gold, none of the mental anguish even registers anymore."

"This feeling is something you have to experience for yourself — I can't put it into words," he said. "I promised I would come home with a gold medal around my neck, and it worked out exactly like I said. I'm just so happy."

No credited the team's unity as the driving force behind the championship.

"I think the best part was that we all became one," he said. "Regardless of who the opponent was, the South Korean players believed in ourselves and came together as one team — that's why we were able to win gold."

He then turned the praise toward his teammates. "I'm so grateful to all of them," he said.

No said he hopes the next generation of players will carry on the streak and make it six consecutive golds four years from now.

"I really hope the younger players get to win gold too and feel this for themselves," he said.

"South Korea is strong," he added. "If the players believe in each other and in themselves, I think six in a row is absolutely possible."