South Korean para-athlete Jang Min-ho (29, Anyang City Hall) made history at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games by setting a world record and winning two gold medals. After securing a gold medal in the men's 100m with an Asian record on October 20, he topped the podium again in the 400m, marking a new milestone for South Korean para-athletics.
According to Yonhap News on October 23, Jang Min-ho crossed the finish line first in the men's 400m (T13 classification) final at the Mizuhokoen Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, with a time of 46.24 seconds.
This achievement breaks the previous world record of 46.44 seconds set by Skander Jamil Atmani of Algeria at the 2024 Kobe World Para Athletics Championships by 0.20 seconds. It is also 0.23 seconds faster than his own previous best of 46.47 seconds.
The silver medal went to Ryota Fukunaga of Japan, who finished in 47.98 seconds, while the bronze was claimed by Chakrin Damuni of Thailand with a time of 50.03 seconds.
Jang Min-ho, who qualified for the final by finishing second in the morning heats with a time of 50.92 seconds, started in lane five and quickly established himself among the leaders. He widened the gap with his competitors as he passed the 200m mark and maintained his speed down the final stretch to complete the world record.
This marks the first time in 16 years that a South Korean para-athlete has set a world record, with the last being Hong Seok-man, who recorded 1:34.91 in the men's 800m at a competition in Arbon, Switzerland, in June 2010.
Earlier, on October 20, Jang Min-ho also won a gold medal in the men's 100m with an Asian record time of 10.48 seconds. He had previously set a new Asian record in the heats with a time of 10.61 seconds before breaking it again in the final.
Jang Min-ho is also the first South Korean athlete to compete in both the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games. He represented the country in the mixed and men's 1600m relay at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month and returned to the same venue to win two gold medals at the Asian Para Games just a month later.
Since last year, Jang Min-ho has been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that has caused a rapid decline in his vision. Despite this, he continued training and secured a third-place finish in the men's 400m at the national athletics championships, earning a spot on the Asian Games relay team and qualifying for the Asian Para Games in the T13 classification.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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