The 'Ramen Girl' Who Rocked the 1986 Asian Games in a 3-Minute Summary

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, kicking off on the 19th, are now 11 days away.

The Asian Games have long been a cradle for sports stars. Among those hailed as heroes of the Asian Games is athlete Im Chun-ae.

At the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, Im Chun-ae (then 17 years old) secured three gold medals in women's athletics, a miraculous and unprecedented feat in the history of South Korean sports that remains legendary to this day.

This was because she claimed three titles in athletics, the core discipline of multi-sport events. Im stunned Asia by dominating all three women's middle- and long-distance events: the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m.

(Produced by: Yang Hyun-yi | Video Editing: Kim Bok-hyung | Design: Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)