Physical: Asia's 'Giant Baby' Kim Min-jae Becomes 19th Business "Trying to win all the medals"

*This content was translated by AI.

"Giant Baby" Kim Min-jae (24, Yeongam-gun Folk Wrestling Team) proved once again that he is the strongest player in Baekdu class by winning his 19th career title.

Kim Min-jae overpowered Jang Sung-woo (29, MG Saemaeul Geumgo Wrestling Team) and lifted the bull trophy in the final match of Baekdu Jangsa (140kg or less) of Withers Pharmaceutical's 2026 folk wrestling tournament held at Danyang Gymnasium in Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do on the 28th.

According to the Korea Wrestling Association, Kim Min-jae said in an interview after the game, "It's all the more meaningful to win the championship. I tried to maintain my mental well in every crisis."

"I would like to thank Chairman Shin Chang-seop, Chairman Kim Han-mo, and Secretary-General Lee Kwang-joon for supporting me to focus only on wrestling," he said. "I will continue to challenge myself with the goal of winning all the gold medals that I failed to achieve last year."

As a result, Kim Min-jae built a golden tower called the 19th Jangsa (3rd Cheonha Jangsa, 16th Baekdu Jangsa). Kim Min-jae, who won the title of the world's best player last year, continued his overwhelming momentum by winning this year's Lunar New Year competition and winning this competition.

The process was not smooth. Kim Min-jae, who defeated Kim Byung-ho (Ulju County Office) 2-0 in the round of 16, beat Cha Seung-min (Gwangju City Hall) 2-1 in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, he won against Hong Ji-heon (Ulju County Office) with his main skills of pushing and fielding, winning the final ticket.

The opponent of fate's final was veteran Jang Sung-woo, who has been in business for 13 times in his career. Kim Min-jae gave up a point in the first round, allowing him to run back the field, but soon found composure. Kim Min-jae, who succeeded in turning the tables by winning two games with a strong push, made a surprise grab in the final round and finished the game with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory.

Kim Min-jae is drawing great attention not only for his ability in the sand but also for his overwhelming physical condition. Kim Min-jae, who recently appeared as a representative Korean participant in the Netflix series "Physical: Asia," is taking the lead in promoting ssireum's status to the world by showing off her unique explosive power and quickness.

Baekdu Jangsa Kim Min-jae (Yeongam-gun Folk Wrestling Team)

2nd place Jang Sung-woo (MG Saemaeul Geumgo Wrestling Team)

Joint 3rd place Park Chan-ju (Taean County Office) and Hong Ji-heon (Ulju County Office)

Yoon Sung-hee (Dongjak-gu Office), Kim Jin (Jeungpyeong-gun Office), Jang Hyung-ho (Jeongeup City Hall), Cha Seung-min (Gwangju City Hall)

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*This content was translated by AI.