Nwamadi breaks national record, wins bronze with good luck charm in stands: His mom
Whenever Kwak Hae-kyung, Joel Jin Nwamadi's mother, comes to watch her son, he performs well. This time was no different, with Korea placing No. 3 in the men's 4x100-meter relay final at the Asian Games.
Korea’s Joel Jin Nwamadi celebrates after crossing the finish line in his men’s 100-meter semifinal heat at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 25.YONHAP
NAGOYA, Japan — “Maybe I should have come for the 100-meter race too.”
Kwak Hae-kyung, the mother of Joel Jin Nwamadi, said these words during a meeting with the JoongAng Ilbo at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on Monday, ahead of the men’s 4x100-meter relay final at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Korea won bronze.
Kwak, who rarely watches her son compete in person, had decided to travel to Japan for an overnight stay.
Her son had shed tears three days earlier as he thought about his mother. With 10.19 seconds, Nwamadi finished fourth in the men’s 100-meter final on Friday, narrowly missing the podium. His strong performance during the heats had raised hopes of a medal.
When the conversation turned to his family, he appeared overcome with emotion and teared up, saying, “I’m sorry to my mother.”
Another nerve-racking moment in the relay heats occurred on Sunday: Nwamadi stumbled during the baton exchange with first runner Kim Si-on, but the team still finished No. 4.
Korea appeared to have secured a place in the final until officials ruled that the exchange between Nwamadi and Kim had taken place outside the takeover zone and disqualified the team. It appealed the decision, and a video review of the race ultimately cleared Korea to compete in the final on Monday.
There were no repeat mistakes in the final. Seo Min-jun, Nwamadi and Lee Jae-seong handed the baton to anchor Biwesa Daniel Kashama. Thailand’s anchor, Puripol Boonson, who had won gold in both the 100 and 200 meters, mounted a furious chase, but Biwesa crossed the line first to earn bronze.
Korea clocked 38.43 seconds, breaking the national record of 38.49 seconds set in May last year and beating Thailand by 0.06 seconds. China took gold with 38.17 seconds, while Chinese Taipei won silver with 38.32 seconds.
Korea’s men’s 4x100-meter relay team celebrates after winning bronze at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 28. From left are Joel Jin Nwamadi, Lee Jae-seong, Seo Min-jun and Biwesa Daniel Kashama.NEWS1
With the margin so narrow, the Korean runners watched the screen in silence. Once their third-place finish was confirmed, they embraced in celebration. Nwamadi ran with the Korean flag draped around him, a bright smile on his face. Though a protest was filed after the race, briefly causing Thailand to be named No. 3, Korea’s bronze medal was ultimately confirmed.
“I was worried because of what happened in the heats, and that made me concentrate even harder,” Nwamadi said after the race. “I’m so happy that we got such a valuable result with a [national] record and were able to win a medal as well.”
The team had set its sights on gold, as they won the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, last year.
“It’s disappointing because our goal was the gold medal,” Nwamadi said. “But I feel really good that we overcame yesterday’s mistake.”
It took more than an hour for the heat’s disqualification to be overturned.
Seo described it as “feeling like [going] back and forth between heaven and hell.” The wait was even more nerve-racking for Nwamadi, whose baton exchange had led to the initial disqualification.
“I kept thinking, ‘What am I going to do if this goes wrong?’” he said. “I was really worried because I would have felt terrible for my older teammates [if we had been disqualified]. But once it was resolved, I felt relieved, and we were able to get our spirits back up.”
Nwamadi was born to a Nigerian father, a former long jumper, and a Korean mother. Kwak had long worried that her son, with his complexion and curly hair, would face discrimination for looking different from others. But her son always reassured her that others’ reactions to his differences did not bother him.
Joel Jin Nwamadi's gold ring engraved with “Beyond 9.99,” reflecting his goal of becoming the first Korean sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 secondsKIM HYO-KYOUNG
Nwamadi competed at the Asian Games wearing a gold ring engraved with the words “beyond 9.99,” a phrase that represents his determination to become the first Korean sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds.
“It was a birthday present,” Kwak said with a smile.
Her status as a “lucky charm” also continued.
“I usually don’t come to the stadium,” the athlete’s mother said. “It’s hard for me to watch him compete. I can barely eat.”
But whenever she has come to watch her son, he has performed well. Nwamadi won three titles — in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters — at the National Sports Festival. At a meet in Niigata, Japan, in July, he clocked 10.17 seconds, tying the second-fastest time ever by a Korean sprinter.
This time, he left with both a national record and an Asian Games medal.
After celebrating with his mother, Nwamadi laughed as he recalled her understated encouragement.
“My mother doesn’t say anything special before a race,” he said. “She just tells me to do my best. Even after we were disqualified, I didn’t hear from her until the evening.”
It was a mother’s way of trying not to put additional pressure on her son, something Nwamadi knows better than anyone.
“I’m glad that I was able to put a medal around my mother’s neck,” he said. “I wish that the color had been a little prettier. […] I guess that I’ll have to tell her to come [to my races] more often.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
