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[스포츠뉴스]Kashama, Nwamadi rivalry suggests bright future for Korean sprinting

온카뱅크관리자

2026-05-11 07:01:00

<div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/05/11/0000088197_001_20260511070216085.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Sprinters Biwesa Daniel Kashama of Ansan City Hall, left, and Joel Jin Nwamadi of Yecheon County Office [YONHAP/NEWS1]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> MOKPO, South Jeolla &#8212; Korean sprinting has taken off with two rising stars:<b> </b>23-year-old<b> </b>Biwesa Daniel Kashama of Ansan City Hall and 20-year-old Joel Jin Nwamadi of Yecheon County Office.  <br>    <br> The two young runners, who only began sprinting six to seven years ago, have developed a friendly rivalry as they chase the Korean men’s 100-meter record of 10.07 seconds set by Kim Kuk-young a decade ago.  <br><br>Nwamadi, born to a Nigerian father and a Korean mother, struck first.  <br>    <br> At the Yoshioka Memorial Izumo Meet in Japan on April 11, he clocked 10.08 seconds, just 0.01 seconds shy of Kim’s national record. However, the mark was not officially recognized due to an excessive tailwind of 3.5 meters per second (7.8 miles per hour).  <br>    <br> On the other hand, Kashama, who was born to Congolese parents and became a naturalized Korean citizen while in the ninth grade, also competed the following day at the same venue. He recorded 10.13 seconds, the second-fastest time ever by a Korean runner.  <br>    <br> The two sprinters met again on April 30 at the National Athletics Championships in Mokpo, South Jeolla.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/05/11/0000088197_002_20260511070216195.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Sprinters Biwesa Daniel Kashama of Ansan City Hall, left, and Joel Jin Nwamadi of Yecheon County Office [KOREA ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETICS FEDERATIONS]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Nwamadi ran 10.19 seconds in the heats, finishing fifth, and both runners posted identical times of 10.22 seconds in the semifinals.  <br>    <br> They had been set for a head-to-head showdown in the final later that afternoon, but both withdrew after temperatures dropped sharply.  <br>    <br> Their next meeting will be on May 11 at the National Athletics Championships in Jeongseon County, Gangwon. The competition will also serve as a qualifier for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September to October, heightening expectations for an intense showdown.  <br>    <br> “After earning a spot on the national team this year, my determination has grown even stronger,” Kashama said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the Mokpo Sports Complex on April 30.  <br>    <br> “I definitely want to break my 10.13-second mark within this year.”  <br>    <br> Nwamadi, seated beside him, said, “I congratulated him a lot after he ran 10.13 seconds,” adding, “That became a positive source of motivation for me too.”  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/05/11/0000088197_003_20260511070216297.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Joel Jin Nwamadi of Yecheon County Office, left, who won the men’s 100-meter final, and Biwesa Daniel Gashama of Ansan City Hall, who finished fourth, celebrate after checking their times at the 106th National Sports Festival held in Busan on Oct. 19, 2025. [YONHAP]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Even as the two sat side by side, smiling through the interview, a subtle tension lingered beneath the surface. People around the national team say the training atmosphere is similar. With both runners sharing the goal of breaking the Korean record and eventually reaching the Olympic stage, where the qualifying standard is 10.00 seconds, their competitive spirit was difficult to hide completely behind their smiles.  <br>    <br> The duo marks the first true rivalry in the history of Korean sprinting. Since Kim lowered Seo Mal-gu’s national record of 10.34 seconds by 0.03 seconds in 2010, he had largely dominated the event alone. Unlike marathoners Hwang Young-cho and Lee Bong-ju, who pushed each other to world-class success through rivalry in the 1990s, the lack of top-level competition in sprinting had arguably slowed progress toward improving national records.  <br>    <br> The two runners arrived at this rivalry through different paths. Nwamadi, who set the high school national record of 10.30 seconds as a senior, struggled through a slump during his first professional season last year. Over the winter, he rebuilt himself, increasing his skeletal muscle mass by 3 to 4 kilograms (6.6 to 8.8 pounds) while reducing body fat.  <br>    <br> Kashama’s story has been closer to a dramatic comeback. Once regarded as Korea’s top sprint prospect before Nwamadi’s emergence, he spent two years sidelined with injuries after turning professional. But upon returning to the track last year, he immediately recorded the third-fastest Korean time of the season, 10.29 seconds, and quickly secured a place on the national team.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_right ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/05/11/0000088197_004_20260511070216517.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Sprinters Biwesa Daniel Kashama of Ansan City Hall, left, and Joel Jin Nwamadi of Yecheon County Office [KOREA ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETICS FEDERATIONS]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> “Nwamadi benefited greatly from increasing the intensity of his weight training after graduating from high school and building more strength,” said Yoon Yeo-chun, a track and field commentator. “Kashama’s power has also improved noticeably, and that appears to be the result of being motivated by Nwamadi.”  <br>    <br> The rivalry is fueling hopes that both runners will continue pushing each other to greater heights.  <br>    <br> “Both runners excel in late-race acceleration,” said Ha Kyung-soo, head coach of the national sprint team. “They are benefiting from the positive effects of their intense rivalry.”  <br>    <br> “Kim Kuk-young set the national record in June 2017, but one or two months before that he was still running in the 10.3- to 10.4-second range,” Ha added. “Compared to Kim at that stage, Nwamadi and Kashama are progressing at a faster pace.”  <br>    <br> Commentator Yoon also shared a similar sentiment.  <br>    <br> “If they maintain their current rate of improvement, both runners have a strong chance of breaking the Korean record,” Yoon said. “By next year, we may even see both athletes break into the nine-second range.”  <br><br><i>This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.</i>

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