"We Thought We Were Disqualified"—Men's 4x100-Meter Relay Team Submits Video Evidence, Overturns Ruling to Dramatically Reach Final [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] The Korean men's 4x100-meter relay team, which had been disqualified in the preliminaries and faced elimination, overturned the ruling through a vigorous appeal and dramatically advanced to the final.
Ha Kyung-soo, head coach of the Korean athletics team, said in a media interview on the 28th, "Immediately after the ruling, we submitted all the video footage we had and appealed, arguing that we should not be disqualified. The organizers accepted our appeal, allowing us to advance to the final."
The men's relay team, comprising Kim Si-on of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps, Joel Jin Nwamadi of the Yecheon County Office, Lee Jaesung of Gwangju City Hall and Biewesa Daniel Gasama of Ansan City Hall, crossed the finish line in 39.33 seconds in Heat 2 of the preliminaries at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on the 27th.
The time ranked seventh among the 12 participating teams, seemingly securing one of the eight spots in the final. However, immediately after the race, the judges disqualified South Korea, ruling that the baton had been passed outside the exchange zone during the transfer from first runner Kim Si-on to second runner Joel Jin Nwamadi, in violation of Rule TF 24.7.
KAAF and the national team immediately and persistently argued, based on video evidence and other materials, that South Korea should not be disqualified. Ha Kyung-soo said with relief, "Appeals are rarely accepted at international multisport events, so we did not have much hope. I am relieved that our confident appeal ultimately produced a good result."
After South Korea's appeal was finally upheld, its original results—fourth in its heat and seventh overall—were reinstated. Singapore, which had secured the last spot in the final after South Korea's disqualification, also retained its berth. As a result, nine countries will compete for the medals in the final.
Having survived elimination, the team will pursue South Korea's first-ever gold medal in the final at 10:33 p.m. on the 28th at the same venue. South Korea won a bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, its first medal in 37 years, and is quietly hoping to win this time with runners of the strongest caliber in its history, including Joel Jin Nwamadi and Biewesa Daniel Gasama. Seo Min-jun could replace Kim Si-on in the final.
Meanwhile, the women's 4x100-meter relay team of Seo Ji-hyun of Jincheon County Office, Kim Seo-yoon of Changwon City Hall, Kim Myeong-ji of Jeongseon County Office and Kim Ju-ha of Siheung City Hall recorded 44.94 seconds in Heat 2 of the preliminaries and claimed the last spot in the final, placing eighth overall. Jo Ha-rim of Mungyeong City Hall finished eighth among the eight competitors in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final with a time of 10:26.06.

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter