Korean sprinter Joel Jin Namadi (Yecheon County Office) withdrew from the men's 200m heats at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On the morning of September 26, at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Joel Jin participated in heat 4 of the men's 200m but felt a muscle cramp in his leg during the race and decided to withdraw.
According to the Korea Athletics Federation, Joel Jin experienced muscle cramping in his thigh before the event. His team determined that continuing the race could lead to a more serious injury, prompting the decision to withdraw.
Time for recovery was limited. The day before, Joel Jin had performed well in the men's 100m final, finishing fourth with a time of 10.17 seconds. However, he underwent doping tests until the early hours of the morning and immediately competed in the 200m heats, which likely strained his muscles.
Joel Jin's Asian Games are not over yet. He plans to focus on treatment and recovery before competing in the relay events, where he has a strong chance of winning a medal.
He is set to participate in the men's 400m relay heats starting on September 27 and the mixed 400m relay, which begins on September 28. Notably, South Korea has only won two bronze medals in the men's 400m relay at past Asian Games (1986 Seoul and 2022 Hangzhou) and is aiming for its first gold medal in this event.
In the men's 200m, Lee Jae-sung (Jeonnam Gwangju City Hall) recorded a time of 21.42 seconds in heat 3, finishing fourth in his heat and 19th overall, securing a spot in the semifinals for the top 24 competitors.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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