South Korea's national roller sports team demonstrated the country's competitive standing at the 2026 World Skate Games (WSG ASU26), held in Asuncion, Paraguay.
The team won three medals in total — one silver and two bronze — at the competition, which ran from Oct. 2 to Oct. 18, the Korea Roller Sports Federation said Thursday. Athletes delivered results across skateboard, inline freestyle and speed disciplines, while the inline hockey and artistic teams also posted notable performances.
Kang Jun-i, a third-year student at Yeongdeungpo High School in Seoul, claimed the silver medal in men's street skateboarding with a final score of 179.32 points. He finished just 2.94 points behind gold medalist Onodera Kinu of Japan, showcasing the growing potential of Korean skateboarding on the world stage.
The street event takes place on a course modeled after urban structures such as stairs and handrails, with skaters judged on the difficulty and execution of their tricks. Kang, who had already established himself as a world-class competitor by winning gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, again confirmed his place among the global elite with a technically polished performance.
In inline freestyle, the South Korean team earned a bronze medal in team speed slalom — an event in which competitors weave through evenly spaced cones as quickly and precisely as possible, demanding explosive acceleration, balance and technical precision. The team finished third against top competitors from around the world, a result that reflected the payoff of consistent training and international experience and underscored the growing global competitiveness of Korean inline freestyle.
In speed skating, Jeon Ye-seul, a third-year student at Jecheon Girls' Middle School in North Chungcheong Province, added a bronze medal in the junior women's points 5,000 meters. The P5,000m event requires athletes to complete a 5,000-meter race while accumulating points at designated intervals, testing not only endurance and speed but also tactical race management.
Jeon finished third against top junior competitors from around the world, highlighting the upward trajectory of South Korea's junior speed discipline. Her performance carries added significance for the development of next-generation athletes and the expansion of their international competition experience.
Beyond the medals, one of the most celebrated achievements of the tournament was the men's junior inline hockey team recording its first-ever two wins at a single world championship. The squad defeated India and Mexico to finish 12th overall — the first time South Korea's men's junior inline hockey program has won twice in a single world championship event.
Korean athletes also performed well in the artistic discipline. In senior women's inline freeskating, Gam Yun-gyeong of Seoul's Luminous club placed eighth and Jeon Ji-su, a first-year student at Korea National Sport University in Seoul, placed ninth — both finishing inside the world's top 10. In the junior women's category, Park Ju-eun, a second-year student at Sau High School in Gyeonggi Province, placed ninth, and Jo Ye-eun, a second-year student at Hallym Arts High School in Seoul, placed 12th.
Korea Roller Sports Federation President Kim Gyeong-seok praised the athletes for their passion and competitive spirit at a tournament that drew the world's best. "The medals won in skateboard, inline freestyle and speed are the hard-earned fruits of the dedication shown by our athletes and coaches," he said. He added that the men's junior inline hockey team's first-ever two wins at a single world championship, along with the strong showings by the artistic athletes on the world stage, were meaningful results that demonstrated the potential of Korean roller sports. "We will continue to identify talented athletes, develop them systematically, raise the performance level of our national teams, and provide the support our athletes need to compete on the world stage in better conditions," he said.
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