JEJU — Gyeonggi Province claimed the overall title at the 107th National Sports Festival, its fifth consecutive win since 2022.
Gyeonggi Province accumulated 67,273 points by combining overall and medal scores, according to final tallies announced at the closing ceremony held at Jeju World Cup Stadium on the 22nd. The gap with runner-up North Gyeongsang Province, which scored 54,888 points, was well over 12,000 points. The outcome had effectively been decided from the middle of the competition.
This year's festival was held on Jeju for the first time in 12 years since 2014. About 30,000 athletes and officials, representing 17 metropolitan governments and provinces along with overseas Korean sports organizations, competed across the island for a week beginning on the 16th.
The Most Valuable Player award, the festival's top individual honor, went to artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong of Jecheon City Hall. Yeo, who won gold in the vault at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, swept the all-around, vault, balance beam and floor exercise in the women's open division held as a preliminary event, taking four gold medals. She added a silver in the team all-around and a bronze in the uneven bars for six medals in total. She won 30 of 56 votes, or 53.7%, in the press ballot, comfortably outpacing her rivals.
In swimming, Hwang Sun-woo of Gangwon Provincial Office won the 200-meter freestyle and the 400- and 800-meter freestyle relays and the 800-meter medley relay, then added the 400-meter mixed medley relay, an exhibition event. Kim Young-beom and Yang Jae-hoon, both of Gangwon Provincial Office, each won four gold medals as well.
Fencer Oh Sang-uk of Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall, named MVP of South Korea's Asian Games delegation, took both the individual and team men's sabre titles. In modern pentathlon, Seo Chang-wan of Jeonnam Provincial Office and Sung Seung-min of Korea National Sport University each collected three gold medals.
On the athletics track, Nmadi Joel-Jin of Yecheon County Office swept the men's open 100 and 200 meters, while teammate Kim Je-deok completed a third straight individual archery title. Judoka Huh Mi-mi of the North Gyeongsang Province Sports Council added gold in the women's open 57-kilogram division.
The most striking record came in sailing. Ha Ji-min of Haeundae District Office won the open division laser class for the 16th consecutive time, a mark no one else has achieved.
At the closing ceremony, following the announcement of results and the overall awards, the festival flag was handed over to Gyeonggi Province, host of the 108th edition next year.