Tokoname:South Korea's 17-year-old skateboarder, Kang Jun-i, claimed the gold medal in the men's street event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, marking a historic achievement as the first South Korean to win an Asiad title in skateboarding.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kang secured his victory with a score of 180.85 points during the event's final held at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, approximately 35 kilometers south of Nagoya, Japan. He outperformed Japanese competitors Toa Sasaki and Ginwoo Onodera, who scored 172.35 and 168.11 points, respectively.

Skateboarding debuted at the Asian Games in 2018 and features two disciplines: street, where skaters perform tricks on a course with stairs, rails, and obstacles, and park, which involves complex shapes and transitions. In the run section of the street event, Kang achieved 88.45 points on his third attempt. In the trick section, despite failing his first two attempts, he excelled on his third with 92.40 points, leading to his total score of 180.85.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Kang shed tears after clinching the victory and again during the medal ceremony. "It's like a dream. It's incredible," Kang expressed in a mixed-zone interview. He shared, "I told my friends that I could laugh or cry on my birthday based on my Asian Games results. I'm so happy with my first gold medal at an international competition and South Korea's first gold in skateboarding."

Reflecting on a challenging moment during the event, Kang said, "I thought, I trained so hard that I couldn't stop here," after a fall on his second trick attempt. Motivated by his mother watching from the stands, he succeeded on his third try.

Looking ahead, Kang aspires to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, aiming to become South Korea's first Olympic medalist in skateboarding. "My biggest goal is to finish first at the LA Olympics," he stated.