"Mom!" Dramatic Gold and Tears... The Prodigy from 'Star-Seeking Kids'

[Anchor]

South Korea has won its first-ever Asian Games gold medal in skateboarding. 17-year-old Kang Jun-i, who drew attention seven years ago after appearing on the SBS show 'Star-Seeking Kids', pulled off a thrilling last-minute comeback.

Reporter Yu Byeongmin has the story from the site.

[Reporter]

[I am Kang Jun-i, and I want to become the number-one skater in the world.]

Back in 2019, Kang Jun-i made his name known as a "skateboard prodigy" by appearing on SBS's 'Star-Seeking Kids'.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team Member: Because there wasn't a proper place to practice (in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province), every Friday I would take a bus up to Seoul at dawn and catch the last bus back down to Yangsan. I kept up that schedule for several years.]

Enduring a grueling schedule and growing rapidly over seven years to emerge as a world-class prospect, the pressure of his first Asian Games stage was still heavy for the 17-year-old Kang.

Although he passed the "run session"—where multiple routines are performed within a set time—in first place, he failed both attempts in the "trick session," which is evaluated on a single high-difficulty trick. Pushed to the brink, he even burst into tears.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team Member: I practiced so hard, and I thought, 'Is it ending here?' My heart really broke, but I pulled myself together and thought, 'Let's try just once more.']

It all came down to the final third attempt, which he absolutely had to land.

Catching his breath, Kang successfully and flawlessly executed the "nollie 270 heel-flip slide" trick that he had missed twice before, pulling off a thrilling comeback.

When the scoreboard flashed the news confirming his gold medal, Kang called out to his mother in the stands, this time bursting into tears of joy.

[Mom~!]

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team Member: I believe that I am the best, so I think I just went with that belief. Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. It feels like a dream, and I feel like I'm floating on air.]

Having become the first-ever South Korean skateboarding gold medalist at the Asian Games, Kang finally broke into a bright smile, saying this became the ultimate birthday gift for his upcoming birthday the day after tomorrow (September 29).

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team Member: I told (my friends) whether it would be a birthday with smiles or tears, and I'm just glad it looks like I'll be spending a smiling birthday.]

A hardworking genius proved to be formidable.

Moving past Asia, Kang now dreams of becoming the champion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

(Video by Kim Se-kyung | Video Editing by Park Na-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.