"I think I might have made a good impression on my future father-in-law as well."

These words came from Jang Min-ho (29, Anyang City Hall), who stood tall by taking up para athletics after losing his sight and even breaking a world record, as he became a two-time champion at the Asian Para Games for the first time in his life while his girlfriend and future father-in-law watched.

Jang won the men's 400-meter (sports class T13) final with a time of 46.24 seconds at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games held at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, today (the 23rd).

He shaved 0.20 seconds off the previous world record of 46.44 seconds set by Skander Djamil Athmani of Algeria at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe.

He also surpassed his own previous personal best of 46.47 seconds.

Having won the men's 100-meter event on the 20th with an Asian record time of 10.48 seconds, Jang claimed his second gold medal of the competition.

Jang, who previously competed as an able-bodied track athlete, suffered from retinitis pigmentosa—a condition that narrows the field of vision—and received his disability classification early this year before stepping into para athletics. He has been selected as a national representative for both able-bodied and para sports.

After competing in the mixed and men's 1,600-meter relays at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month, he returned to Nagoya for the Asian Para Games and rewrote the world record books.

After the race, he said, "My actual goal was to run in the 45-second range. I feel a bit regretful about the record. Still, I am happy just to have set a personal best."

He added, "I think the fact that I became a double gold medalist at such a major event is an honor in itself," while emphasizing, "I am not yet satisfied with this level of performance."

Jang faces difficulties where intense training increases his intraocular pressure and worsens his eye condition. "The 400-meter event is truly a love-hate discipline," he confessed. "It is the event I do best at, but also the one I fear and dislike the most."

Having focused more on recovery than training after last month's Asian Games, he also had concerns about his times.

Looking back, Jang said, "I worked extremely hard on the 400 meters this season, to the point where I couldn't possibly push any harder. Because the 400 meters yields no results if training is insufficient, I did have a slight fear regarding my record."

His girlfriend and future father-in-law visited the stadium on this day to cheer him on.

Right before their eyes, Jang became the fastest T13 class 400-meter runner in the world.

His girlfriend, who shared this moment with him, is the one who encouraged him to pursue his dream as an athlete once again.

However, Jang was unable to directly spot the two of them sitting in the stands.

"My eyesight is poor, so I couldn't see where they were," he said.

Jang's dream is to give someone the courage and hope to take on challenges through his own sprints.

"Thank you so much for showing so much interest," he vowed. "I want to keep working hard and become a good athlete who brings hope."

(Photo: Yonhap News)