Joel Jin (Yecheon County Office), a rising star in South Korean men’s sprinting, won the men’s 100m final at the 80th National Athletics Championships with a time of 10.09 seconds. The event, held on the 12th at Jeongseon Sports Complex in Gangwon Province, also served as a selection meet for the Asian Games.
![[서울=뉴시스]육상 조엘진, 남자 100m 비공인 기록 10초09. (사진=대한육상연맹제공)](https://u121518.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/c6d1766e51f3.webp)
Although a tailwind of 2.7 meters per second prevented the time from being officially recognized, Jin came within 0.02 seconds of the national record of 10.07 seconds, offering a bright outlook for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
After the race, Jin expressed his feelings through the Korea Athletics Federation: “The wind was disappointing, but I’m thankful to once again feel the sensation of running in the 10-second range. This is the stage I’ve dreamed of since starting athletics, so I will prepare well and compete with a firm resolve to honor the national flag at the Asian Games. I will repay everyone watching with good results.”
The federation will select the national team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games based on performances at this meet and season bests, after review by the Performance Enhancement Committee.
Jin, who has a Korean mother and Nigerian father, previously recorded an unofficial 10.08 seconds in the preliminaries of the Yoshioka Grand Prix in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, Japan last month. However, that time was also not recognized due to a tailwind of 3.5 m/s. In athletics, a 100m time is considered unofficial if the tailwind exceeds 2.0 m/s.
Jin’s personal best remains 10.19 seconds, while the Korean men’s 100m record of 10.07 seconds was set by Kim Kuk-young at the 2017 Korea Open International Athletics Competition.
![[서울=뉴시스]육상 조엘진, 남자 100m 비공인 기록 10초09. (사진=대한육상연맹 제공)](https://u121518.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/10da68a63ed8.webp)
In the men’s 100m final, Biewesa Daniel Gasama (Ansan City Hall) finished second with 10.121 seconds, and Lee Jae-sung (Gwangju City Hall) placed third with 10.126 seconds. In the men’s 400m final, Shin Min-gyu (Seoul City Hall) took first place with 46.59 seconds, while in the women’s 400m, Kim Seo-yoon (Changwon City Hall) won with a meet record of 54.31 seconds.