"Mom, your hard work is over now" Juni Kang sobbed on the podium after pulling off a miracle in Japan [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] With his face buried under his clothing, he sobbed, his shoulders heaving. After a technique he had practiced countless times failed twice in a row and the scoreboard displayed "0.00," it seemed as if the world of the 17-year-old had collapsed.
But the person who lifted the boy from the depths of despair was none other than his mother, who was sitting in the stands. After wiping away his tears, he launched himself off the ramp and ultimately completed a historic miracle: the first gold medal in the history of Republic of Korea skateboarding, won in the heart of Japan.
Juni Kang, 17, a student at Seoul Yeongdeungpo High School and regarded as a "genius" of South Korean skateboarding, won the men's street final at the 2026 Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 27th. He earned a final total of 180.85 points to claim the gold medal. Since skateboarding became an official Asian Games sport in 2018, he is the first South Korean athlete, male or female, to win gold in the event.
The final was an unscripted, tearjerking drama. Juni Kang took the overall lead after posting scores in the high 80s in the first and third runs, in which competitors navigated the course. But a cruel ordeal awaited him in the trick session, where athletes perform individual high-difficulty moves.

Juni Kang attempted his signature Nollie 270 heelflip lipslide, but crashed to the ground on both his first and second attempts, earning consecutive scores of 0.00. Immediately after the second failure, he left the course and burst into tears, unable to overcome the pressure and frustration. After covering his face with his clothing and crying for some time, he looked up toward the stands. There, his mother, who had always believed in and supported him, was watching her son with an anxious gaze.
"I prepared this much, and is it really going to end like this? No."
Juni Kang gathered himself and refused to back down. On his third and final attempt, he put everything on the same trick that had brought him down twice before. He popped the front of the board, spun it in the air, twisted his body 270 degrees, then slid along the rail. The result was a perfect landing. After roaring as if he sensed victory, Juni Kang burst into tears again. This time, they were tears of overwhelming joy rather than despair. The judges awarded him an astonishing 92.40 points, putting the finishing touch on a spectacular comeback.


The 17-year-old champion continued wiping away tears even after climbing to the top of the podium. The reason his gold medal was so emotional lies in the thorny road he traveled to get there. Raised in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, he practiced on bare ground because he had no training facility. For years, he endured a grueling routine: taking an overnight bus to Seoul every Friday night, practicing in a park, then taking the latest bus back to Yangsan on Sunday.
The little boy featured on Finding Genius had since grown into a global star who dominated Tampa Am and Street League Skateboarding (SLS), two of the world's premier stages. At last, he won the gold medal in grand fashion on Japan's home turf, in the country regarded as the birthplace of the Asian Games.
With his 18th birthday two days away, Juni Kang smiled broadly and said, "I told my friends I didn't know whether this would be a smiling birthday or a crying birthday, but fortunately it turned out to be a smiling one."
The 17-year-old who quietly kept skating despite the fatigue of overnight bus rides is now setting his sights even higher: the top of the podium at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (LA28).
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter