Joel Jin Nwamadi goes from 'Descendants of the Sun' to day in the sun with historic relay gold

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Joel Jin Nwamadi goes from 'Descendants of the Sun' to day in the sun with historic relay gold

Published: 30 Jul. 2025, 10:54 Updated: 30 Jul. 2025, 17:11

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Left: Joel Jin Nwamadi plays a character in the KBS drama series ″Descendants of the Sun″ (2016). Right: Nwamadi visits Gumi Civic Stadium in North Gyeongsang on May 20, ahead of the start of the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships. [SCREEN CAPTURE, YONHAP]

The Korean men’s 4x100-meter relay team clinched a historic gold medal at the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr Summer World University Games, marking the country's first-ever victory in a relay event at a global athletics championship.

And tucked into the gold-medal quartet is a face that K-drama fans might just recognize.

At the final held in Germany on Sunday, the team — composed of Seo Min-jun, Lee Jae-sung, Kim Jeong-yun and Joel Jin Nwamadi — finished with a time of 38.50 seconds, capturing Korea’s first gold in an international relay race.

Among the quartet, Nwamadi has drawn particular attention for his unexpected background in entertainment.

In 2016, he appeared as a child actor in the KBS drama series "Descendants of the Sun." He played a local boy from the fictional country of Urk, a war-torn Balkan-like nation where both Greek script and Russian were used.

In a memorable scene from the series, Nwamadi’s character receives shoes from a volunteer doctor played by singer-actor Onew and responds: "I don’t want shoes, I want a goat. I want to raise a goat."

The line became one of the most iconic moments of the show, illustrating the tragedy of war through a child’s eyes.

From left, Joel Jin Nwamadi, Seo Min-jun, Lee Jun-hyeok and Lee Jae-sung pose for a photo after winning the men’s 4x100-meter relay final at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi Civic Stadium on May 31. The team set a new national and championship record with a time of 38.49 seconds. [YONHAP]

Nwamadi, the son of a Nigerian father and a Korean mother, began training in track and field at the urging of his father when he was in fifth grade.

He emerged as a standout athlete in 2024, setting a new Korean high school record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.30 seconds. He further solidified his reputation in April by winning the men’s 100 meters at the national trials for the Asian Athletics Championships — his debut on the senior stage.

In May, at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships held in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, Nwamadi and the relay team set a new Korean record of 38.49 seconds and won Korea’s first-ever gold medal in the 4x100-meter event at that competition.

Joel Jin Nwamadi, who won gold in the men’s 4x100-meter relay at the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr Summer World University Games, speaks to reporters after arriving at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport on July 29. [NEWS1]

Returning to Incheon Airport on Tuesday, Nwamadi expressed disbelief and pride in the team’s accomplishment.

“The second leg is the perfect spot for me to make the most of my strengths,” he said. “When we crossed the finish line in first place, I couldn’t believe it at first. My heart was full.”

Correction, July 30, 2025: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Nwamadi's father was a former long jump athlete. This has been amended.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]