The scoreboard showed zeros for the first two trick attempts. Then came the final third attempt. Another failure would have meant walking away empty-handed despite finishing first in the run session. But the nerve of Kang Jun-i, born in 2008 and a student at Seoul Yeongdeungpo High School, outweighed the fear. Kang exhaled deeply, stepped onto the board and launched into the air once more. The trick chosen for that last attempt was the same one that had failed twice before — an early back-three heelflip lipslide, a maneuver only two skateboarders in the world, including Kang, can land. An easier trick could have secured a medal, but Kang staked the gold on the hardest trick currently being performed. When the trick landed cleanly and the gold was finally sealed, Kang pinched a cheek in disbelief and soaked in the victory.
Kang finished with a combined 180.85 points to claim the top of the podium in the men's street final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 27th at Aichi Sky Expo Hall in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Kang edged out Japan's Sasaki Toa, who scored 172.35, and Onodera Ginwoo, who scored 168.11.
It is the first gold medal won by a Korean skateboarder, male or female, since the sport was added to the Asian Games program at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang edition. Until now, the only podium finish was a bronze taken by Eun Ju-won in the men's street event at those 2018 Games. The medal carries added weight because it came against host Japan, regarded as the world's strongest skateboarding nation, on its home ground.
In street skateboarding, competitors take three 45-second runs on a course built to mimic urban terrain such as stairs and rails, followed by three trick attempts in which they are judged on a single maneuver. The highest score from the run session and the highest from the trick session are added together to determine the final standings. A failed attempt is scored zero.
The final turned into a dramatic reversal. Kang led the field with 88.45 points on the third run, but ran into trouble in the trick session that followed. The ambitious early back-three heelflip lipslide came apart on the landing in both the first and second attempts, leaving two straight zeros. After the second failure, Kang broke down in a coach's arms and slipped to fifth as the Japanese skaters moved ahead.
With the competition on the line, Kang's willingness to attempt the trick did not waver. On the third and final attempt, the trick came off flawlessly. Befitting its difficulty, the scoreboard read 92.40. The standings flipped in an instant, completing a thrilling come-from-behind win.
The gold carries particular meaning for Kang. After first joining the national team in 2021, Kang missed the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games because of a knee injury. Undeterred, Kang became the first Korean to win Tampa Am, one of the world's premier amateur contests, in 2024, and finished runner-up last year at the X Games, the largest action sports competition in the world. This year, Kang also became the first Korean to lift a winner's trophy in a debut appearance at Street League Skateboarding (SLS), one of the top professional circuits in the sport, confirming a world-class level of ability.
