‘AG First’ Kang Jun-ee · ‘First in 12 Years’ Choi Ji-woon · ‘New Record’ Kim Jun-woo… Who Will Be the Star Award Winner? [2026 Futures Star Awards]

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The next generation of promising male athletes, who shone at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and elevated the status of Korean sports, are competing fiercely for major category nominations at the 2026 Futures Star Awards.

The ceremony for the ‘2026 Futures Star Awards (Hosted by StarNews; sponsored by the Korea Sports Council, the National Sports Promotion Foundation, the Korea Baseball and Softball Association, the Korea Basketball Association, the Korea Volleyball Federation, and Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd.)’, now in its fifth year, will be held at 3 p.m. on the 26th in the press conference room on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

At this ceremony, high school stars who made history on the international stage are expected to enter the Choi Jong (수상) list, drawing significant attention.

In skateboarding, Kang Jun-ee (18, third-year student at Yeongdeungpo High School, Korea Roller Sports Federation) has been named a Yoo Ryeok-han (수상) nominee. Standing 183 cm tall and weighing 64 kg, Kang Jun-ee is ranked seventh in the World Skate (WS) world rankings. At this Asian Games, he recorded a score of 180.85 points in the men’s street skateboarding final, defeating Sasaki Toa (172.35 points) and Onodera Kinue (168.11 points, both from Japan) to claim the top spot with confidence. This is the first Asian Games gold medal in Korean skateboarding history since the sport was officially adopted in 2018. Following his gold medals at the 2024 Tampa Amp and the 2025 World Series Shanghai, as well as his victory at the Copenhagen Open, Kang Jun-ee swept gold medals for Best Trick in street events at this year’s X Games New Orleans, Chiba, and Sacramento, along with a gold medal at SLS Downtown LA Takeover. He has proven himself to be of world-class caliber and is considered a leading Kang Ryeok-han (수상) candidate.

In sailing, Choi Ji-woon, who cut through the golden waters at the Asian Games at the age of 15, has been added to the nominee pool. At the competition held at Kamaogiri Kaiyo Yacht Harbor in Japan, Choi Ji-woon recorded a net score of 25 points in the men’s dinghy youth event to take first place overall. Under the rules that determine rankings by summing the scores of 10 races out of a total of 12, excluding the two worst performances, Choi Ji-woon remained in fourth place until only two races were left. However, he recorded first place in the 11th race and second place in the 12th race to achieve a dramatic comeback victory. He tied with second-place Lee Ian (Singapore, 25 points) on total points but secured the gold medal by having more first-place finishes (3 times). This is the first time Korean sailing has won a gold medal in an Asian Games youth category since Park Seong-bin at the 2014 Incheon Games, marking a 12-year wait.

In swimming, Kim Jun-woo (19, Gwangseong High School), a promising middle- and long-distance male swimmer, is competing for the Choi Jong (수상). At this Asian Games, Kim Jun-woo recorded a time of 7 minutes 43.86 seconds in the men’s 800m freestyle final, finishing in a photo finish tied to the hundredth of a second with Japan’s Tabuchi Kaito to share the silver medal. This is an achievement that shortened the previous Games record (7 minutes 46.03 seconds) set by last year’s winner Kim Woo-min by 2.17 seconds. Having previously contributed to a bronze medal in the men’s 800m medley relay and finished fifth in the freestyle 1500m, Kim Jun-woo solidified his position as a middle- and long-distance ace at his first Asian Games appearance, revealing his potential as a next-generation star.

■ Date: October 26, 2026 (Mon), 3 p.m.

■ Venue: Press Conference Room, 19th Floor, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong University-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul)

■ Awardees: Baseball/Soccer/Volleyball/Basketball/Golf/Skateboarding/Artistic Gymnastics; 10 people total across 7 sports (2 Grand Prizes, 6 Star Awards, 2 Future Star Awards)

■ Selection Committee Members

Former National Team Manager Kim In-sik (Seon Jeong-wi (Director)), Cha Myung-ju, official of the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA), Jung Min-hyuk, Head of the Hanwha Eagles Scouting Team, Kwon Do-young, Section Chief of the Kiwoom Heroes Scouting Team

Han Jun-hee, commentator for Coupang Play, Son Seung-jun, full-time coach for the Korea Football Association, Kwon Oh-gyu, Technical Director of Bucheon FC, Jung Jae-yoon, scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai

■ Host/Organizer: StarNews

■ Sponsors: Korea Sports Council, National Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Baseball and Softball Association, Korea Basketball Association, Korea Volleyball Federation, Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., Palseok Mijin

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original