South Korea's athletics has won its first gold medal in the 400m on the world stage. The medal holder is Namadi Joel Jin (19), who gained fame as a child actor in "Descendants of the Sun." The "2025 Line-Ruhr Summer Universiade" was held in Germany on the 27th. The South Korean team secured a gold medal in the men's 400m relay final, finishing with a time of 38.50 seconds. South Africa, a strong athletics nation, came in second with a time of 38.80 seconds.
The national team consists of Seo Min-jun (Seocheon County Office), Namadi Joel Jin (Yecheon County Office), Lee Jae-sung (Gwangju Metropolitan City Office), and Kim Jung-yoon (Korea National Sport University). The team arrived in Incheon on the 29th. Joel Jin expressed, “I was overwhelmed with emotion when we secured first place. I want to break my personal best record this year and continue to improve my times.”
Joel Jin is a familiar face to domestic fans. He appeared as the Urk boy in "Descendants of the Sun" in 2016. Known as 'Black Ki', he acted alongside Song Hye-kyo and Onew. The show depicted the pain of conflict regions, with Onew gifting sneakers but the character requesting a goat necessary for survival. He also made a mark with warm gestures, such as gifting a drawing to Song Hye-kyo.
Namadi Joel Jin was born in 2006 to a Nigerian father and a Korean mother. After his child actor career, he began his journey as an athlete in the fifth grade of elementary school.
He has emerged as the future of South Korean athletics, sweeping gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 400m at various competitions, including the National Sports Festival and the National Athletics Championships. He has also excelled in relays. In 2024, he set a Korean high school record in the men's 100m at the Hong Kong Intercity Athletics Championship with a time of 10.35 seconds, achieving high results in every competition he participated in.
After joining the professional team at Yecheon County Office, he quickly surpassed his seniors to rise to the top in the 100m. He was selected as a national representative this year. Since joining the team, he has set new Korean records on two consecutive days. He participated in the men's 400m at the 2025 World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China, where he recorded 38.56 seconds in the preliminary rounds and improved to 38.51 seconds in the following day's runoff.
On top of that, Namadi Joel Jin also participated in the men's 4x100m relay final at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, where he contributed to South Korea's first-ever gold medal in this event.
He and the rest of the national team are now preparing for international competitions, aiming for consecutive medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and seeking qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung congratulated the team on this day, stating, “I applaud the athletes' passion and determination. This is significant as it’s the first time South Korea has won in a relay event at a world comprehensive competition.” He added, “The sweat and long hours of patience have led to this shining accomplishment. The gripping drama of teamwork and unwavering will has brought overwhelming emotion to all citizens.”
<Source: 700creators SNS, KBS, Korea Athletics Federation>
