Seoul finishes 3rd at National Sports Festival with 343 medals

The Seoul delegation finished third overall at the 107th National Sports Festival, collecting 343 medals, including 109 golds. Mountain climbing and basketball claimed their fourth consecutive overall titles, while the swimming program produced a four-event champion and new meet records, demonstrating the city's competitive depth across a wide range of sports. Athletes from high school prospects to professional club players all contributed, reaffirming the strength of Seoul's athletic foundation.

The Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council announced that the Seoul delegation recorded a combined score of 54,186 points at the festival, held across Jeju Special Self-Governing Province from Oct. 16 to Oct. 22, to finish third in the overall standings.

Seoul fielded a delegation of 2,156 people across 50 sports — 1,480 athletes and 676 officials. Over the course of the week, the team collected 109 gold medals, 103 silvers and 131 bronzes, confirming the city's standing among the nation's top-performing delegations.

Consistent strength in key sports was a defining feature of the games. Mountain climbing and basketball each claimed their fourth consecutive overall title, again establishing themselves as Seoul's signature disciplines. Fencing and fin swimming also defended their titles for a second straight year, maintaining steady performances.

Modern pentathlon and taekwondo joined the list of overall champions, bringing Seoul's total to six sports titles. The city also finished runner-up in nine sports, including swimming, badminton and archery. Placing near the top across multiple disciplines — rather than dominating in just a few — was a key factor in the third-place overall finish.

Individual performances also stood out. Lee Won of Seoul Sports High School was the most decorated athlete, winning four gold medals in the women's under-18 swimming events. With strong showings across multiple sports, the Seoul delegation produced a total of 26 multi-event champions — one four-event champion, four three-event champions and 21 two-event champions.

New meet records were also set. On the final day of competition, Won Jun of Bangsan High School and Lee In-seo of Gyeonggi High School each broke the meet record in the men's under-18 400-meter individual medley, taking gold and silver respectively. The two athletes setting new marks in the same event back-to-back highlighted the competitiveness of Seoul's swimming program and the potential of its next-generation athletes.

The Seoul City Hall sports club also contributed to the overall result. A contingent of 142 people — 24 coaches and 118 athletes — competed across 18 sports and won 46 medals: 17 golds, 14 silvers and 15 bronzes. The club athletes' performances bolstered the delegation's medal haul while underscoring the importance of a strong professional sports development infrastructure.

Building on the results, the Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council plans to conduct a detailed analysis of performance by sport and continue refining its athlete development and support systems. The council will strengthen cooperation with relevant organizations to ensure athletes can improve their skills in a stable environment, with particular attention to training conditions and support needs raised at the field level.

Identifying talented athletes and providing systematic development pathways will also be a priority. The council will support promising high school athletes in maintaining their competitiveness as they move into senior competition, and will work to create training environments tailored to the characteristics of each sport.

Kim Seong-beom, secretary general of the Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council and head coach of the delegation, said the four consecutive overall titles in mountain climbing and basketball, along with 26 multi-event champions, were "achievements made possible by the dedication of athletes, coaches and all those involved." He added that the council would "continue to reflect the voices from the field, improve training conditions, and strengthen support for developing elite athletes and raising performance levels."