{
  "id": 10629769,
  "title": "Meet Kang Jun-i, TV skateboarding prodigy turned Asian Games champion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/meet-kang-jun-i-tv-skateboarding-prodigy-turned-asian-games-champion",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T06:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260929/meet-kang-jun-i-tv-skateboarding-prodigy-turned-asian-games-champion"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kang Jun-i, a 17-year-old Korean prodigy, has etched his name in history by clinching the first-ever Asian Games gold medal in skateboarding for his home country. This momentous achievement was realized at the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where Kang outshone fellow skateboarding talents Toa Sasaki and Ginwoo Onodera with an impressive score of 180.85 points in the men's street final. This gold medal victory marks a significant milestone, as it is the inaugural Korean triumph in Asian Games history since skateboarding became an official sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. Prior to Kang's stunning feat, the nation's best performance in this category was a bronze medal, secured by Eun Ju-won in the men's street event of 2018.\n\nThe high school student's elation upon winning the gold medal was palpable. He expressed his disbelief with a simple yet profound statement: \"It feels like a dream. I can't believe it.\" Kang's dream, however, extends beyond this Asian Games gold. The aspiring athlete aspires to achieve greatness at the prestigious Los Angeles Olympics. Kang's fascination with skateboarding began at the tender age of 8. In 2019, at the age of 12, he captured the attention of the masses when he featured on SBS's Genius Discovery Team.",
  "summary": "Kang Jun-i, 17, has won Korea's first-ever Asian Games gold medal in skateboarding, bringing renewed attention to his appearance on SBS' \"Genius Discovery Team\" seven years ago. Kang scored 180.85 points in the men's street final at the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, finishing ahead of Japanese skateboarding stars Toa Sasaki and Ginwoo Onodera. Street skateboarding involves riding a board on the…",
  "key_points": [
    "17-year-old Korean prodigy Kang Jun-i wins first-ever Asian Games gold in skateboarding.",
    "Scored 180.85 points in men's street final at 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.",
    "Kang's dream is to achieve greatness at Los Angeles Olympics."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Kang Jun-i's Asian Games gold medal in skateboarding signifies a breakthrough for South Korea in the sport, upgrading from a previous best of bronze and setting a new standard for the nation's athletes.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Meet Kang Jun-i, TV skateboarding prodigy turned Asian Games champion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/meet-kang-jun-i-tv-skateboarding-prodigy-turned-asian-games-champion-10633520",
        "published": "2026-09-29T07:12:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Singapore",
        "title": "Singapore's Loh Kean Yew set to face Thailand's Kunlavut in Asian Games badminton final",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/singapores-loh-kean-yew-set-to-face-thailands-kunlavut-in-asian-games",
        "published": "2026-09-29T08:24:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}