17-Year-Old Kang Jun-i Clinches South Korea's First Asian Games Skateboarding Gold

High schooler Kang Jun-i wins men's street with 180.85 points

First Korean gold in skateboarding since the sport joined the Asian Games

Street squad shows promise, but park discipline falls short of medals

Federation calls for international-standard training facilities

Kang Jun-i of South Korea poses with his gold medal at the awards ceremony for the men's street skateboarding event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday. [Korean Roller Sports Federation]

Seventeen-year-old Kang Jun-i rewrote Korean skateboarding history Sunday, scoring 92.40 points on his final trick attempt after two failed efforts to claim the country's first Asian Games gold in the sport.

Kang, a third-year student at Seoul's Yeongdeungpo High School, won the men's street final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a total score of 180.85 points. The competition was held at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

It was the first gold medal for a Korean skateboarder since the sport was introduced as an official Asian Games discipline at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. South Korea's previous best result in Asian Games skateboarding was a bronze medal won by Eun Ju-won in men's street at those same Games.

Kang topped the podium by defeating a string of competitors from Japan, the host nation and a dominant force in the sport.

The street event takes place on a course designed to replicate urban obstacles such as stairs and handrails. In this competition's final, rankings were determined by combining scores from "run" segments — in which athletes perform a continuous sequence of tricks — and a "best trick" segment, where each competitor attempts a single high-difficulty maneuver.

Kang opened strongly, scoring 84.83 points on his first run and improving to 88.45 on his third, finishing the run portion in first place heading into the best trick segment.

He failed to land his trick on both his first and second attempts. Meanwhile, Japan's Sasaki Toa scored 88.05 on his best trick, giving him a combined total of 172.35 and moving him into the lead. Onodera Kinu also moved up with a combined score of 168.11.

With a medal on the line, Kang went back to the same trick on his third and final attempt. He landed a nollie 270 heelflip lipslide to score 92.40. Combined with his run score, his final total of 180.85 instantly moved him to the top of the standings.

The Japanese skaters who followed could not surpass his score, confirming the gold. Sasaki took silver and Onodera bronze.

Kang had originally prepared a nollie 360 heelflip lipslide — a full 360-degree rotation — but chose to reduce the rotation to 270 degrees after weighing his run score against the risk. The adjusted trick raised his chances of a clean landing, and he delivered on his last opportunity.

Kang Jun-i of South Korea poses for a photo with officials from the Korean Roller Sports Federation after winning gold in the men's street skateboarding event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday. [Korean Roller Sports Federation]

According to the Korean Roller Sports Federation, Kang placed his gold medal around his mother's neck and bowed deeply to her at the team dinner after the competition. Kim Tae-hyung, head of the national skateboarding team delegation, also said he would personally cover four years of university tuition for Kang if he chooses to pursue higher education.

South Korea's street squad showed its potential across the board. In the men's event, Lee Jun-seung, a first-year student at Janghun High School, finished fifth. In the women's event, Shin Ji-yul, a third-year student at Samnangjin Middle School, placed fourth, while Park Ji-bin, a second-year student at Gyeonghye Girls' High School, finished eighth.

The park discipline, however, yielded no medals. In the men's event, Kim Dong-hyeok, a second-year student at Korea National Sport University, finished fifth, and Lee Ro-un, a second-year student at Bucheon Bugok Middle School, placed sixth. In the women's event, Jo Hyeon-ju finished seventh and Gwak Min-ji eighth.

The federation believes the shortage of domestic training facilities is more acute in park than in street. Street athletes can make partial use of everyday urban structures such as stairs and handrails for training, but park skating — which demands continuous transitions across curved and sloped surfaces — requires dedicated facilities.

While skateboard parks do exist in South Korea, the federation says their scale and specifications fall short of what is needed to prepare seriously for international competition. As a result, national team athletes frequently rely on overseas training camps ahead of major events.

The Korean Roller Sports Federation has repeatedly asked the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee to build international-standard skateboarding training facilities, including at the Jincheon National Training Center. Federation President Kim Gyeong-seok visited the park venue at the Asian Games with Jincheon National Training Center Director Kim Taek-su to discuss plans for developing such facilities.

"At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games — Korea's first Asian Games with skateboarding — Eun Ju-won won a bronze in men's street. At the second Games in Hangzhou in 2022, Jo Hyeon-ju finished fourth in park. Now, on our third attempt, we've won gold. We're growing at a remarkable pace," Kim said. "To sustain this momentum and stay competitive against Japan, China and others, nothing is more essential than building proper competition-standard facilities."

With Kang's gold, South Korean skateboarding has reached the top of the podium on its third Asian Games appearance. Attention now turns to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Having confirmed the country's competitiveness in street, expanding domestic training infrastructure — for both street and park — has emerged as the key challenge in maintaining that edge on the world stage.

pooh@heraldcorp.com