A fierce battle between the top 10-year-old geniuses of South Korea and Japan has ignited! Kang Jun-yeo achieves a silver medal at the Skateboarding World Championships... Victory goes to Japan's Onodera, who placed third at the Asian Games

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Kang Jun-yeo (18, Seoul Yeongdeungpo High School), the flagship star of South Korean skateboarding, won a silver medal at the World Championships after a fierce title race with his "arch-rival" Onodera Kinu (16, Japan).

On the 18th (local time), in the men's street final of the "2026 World Skate Games" held in Asuncion, Paraguay, Kang Jun-yeo recorded a total score of 179.32 points, combining a run score of 89.21 and a trick score of 90.11, to finish second.

Japan's Onodera Kinu claimed the gold medal with a score of 182.26 points. The margin over Kang Jun-yeo was just 2.94 points. The bronze medal went to Japan's Nagai Daiga, who recorded 166.18 points.

Skateboarding street is an event where athletes perform tricks on a course modeled after real urban structures such as stairs and rails. Scores are calculated by summing the "run," which involves navigating the course for 45 seconds, and the "trick," which showcases a single high-difficulty maneuver, each out of 100 points. The trick category in this final was extremely difficult, with only three out of eight competitors succeeding, but Kang Jun-yeo calmly completed his high-difficulty tricks.

In particular, the intense rivalry between Kang Jun-yeo and Onodera stood out. Just one month ago, in the final of the "2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games" held at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan, Kang Jun-yeo recorded a total score of 180.85 points to win the gold medal, while Onodera settled for bronze with 168.11 points.

At that time, Kang Jun-yeo achieved the feat of becoming the first South Korean skateboarder to top the Asian Games podium, overcoming strong Japanese competitors who had the home advantage. At this World Championship, Onodera took first place and Kang Jun-yeo second, swapping their positions.

Kang Jun-yeo has consistently left a significant mark on the international stage. Starting with his victory at Tampa Amp in 2024, he swept the top spots at the 2025 World Series Shanghai and Copenhagen Open. This year, he also consecutively won medals at the X Games New Orleans, Chiba, and Sacramento events, and further secured gold medals at the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Downtown LA Takeover and Battle of the Champions Macao, showcasing his unparalleled skills.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original