"I Ran 22,000 km in a Month"... First-Ever Esports Medal

[Anchor]

Team Korea has secured its first-ever medal in esports at this competition. Kim Young-chan, a professional race car driver who also competes in auto racing video games, earned a precious bronze medal after a passionate virtual race.

Reporter Yu Byeongmin is on-site with the story.

[Reporter]

Kim Young-chan, who loved car racing games since childhood and swept various gaming tournaments, was approached by an automotive company six years ago to participate in actual racing. He won immediately, leading him to pursue a career as a professional race car driver.

However, upon hearing the news in May of this year about the selection process for the Asian Games esports national team, he picked up the joystick steering wheel once again and earned the Taegeuk mark with overwhelming skill.

And then, he raced furiously across the virtual track.

[Kim Young-chan / Esports Gran Turismo 7 Bronze Medalist: You can check the driving distance I logged in August. I drove 22,000 kilometers. I poured my time into training.]

He finally showcased a passionate run on the Asian Games stage today (September 23).

After successfully advancing to the finals with a dramatic comeback featuring a stunning drift in the closing moments of the semifinal, he competed in three final races against seven competitors. In the second race, he secured a thrilling comeback victory right before the finish line by a margin of 0.054 seconds, ultimately finishing third overall to claim the bronze medal.

[Kim Young-chan / Esports Gran Turismo 7 Bronze Medalist: When I checked my phone just now, people had sent so many congratulatory messages that my social media was about to burst. I think we were able to bear fruit thanks to the support.]

Kicking off the competition with a valuable bronze medal, Korean esports will begin its full-fledged pursuit of more medals starting tomorrow.

(Video by: Kim Se-kyung, Video Editing by: Jang Hyun-ki)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.