With '9.99' on his ring, Joeljin Nwamadi eyes Korea's first sub-10-second 100m
“Obviously, the goal is to win a gold medal. But my lifelong goal is to break the 10-second barrier.” Joeljin Nwamadi made his ultimate ambition clear. Competing for the Yecheon County Office track and field team, the 20-year-old sprinter is widely regarded as the “hope of Korean sprinting.” Breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters has long been a dream for Korean sprinting, one that even…
Joeljin Nwamadi, a 20-year-old sprinter representing the Yecheon County Office, is widely regarded as the "hope of Korean sprinting." The young athlete has set his sights on achieving greatness, with a clear goal in mind: to break the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter sprint. This has been a long-standing dream for Korean sprinting, a dream that even the country's record holder, Kim Kuk-young, could not fulfill, as his personal best stands at 10.07 seconds.
In an interview with the Hankook Ilbo, Nwamadi shared his aspirations at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province. The aspiring athlete, who is set to make his debut at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, is currently on a roll. At the 2026 Niigata Prefecture Athletics Championships on July 19, Nwamadi clocked a personal best of 10.13 seconds in a 100-meter race, further solidifying his momentum towards this historic milestone.
Despite the fact that a sub-10-second time would also significantly boost his chances of securing a podium finish at the Asian Games, Nwamadi remains focused on achieving his ultimate goal, proudly stating, "Obviously, the goal is to win a gold medal. But my lifelong goal is to break the 10-second barrier."
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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