The boy from the drama 'Descendants of the Sun' has now become a golden sprinter. Namadi Joel Jin, who took gold in the relay at a global competition for the first time in Korean athletics history, is gaining late attention for his past.
On the 29th, Namadi Joel Jin expressed his overwhelming feelings by sharing a gold medal certification shot along with his remarks, "Since it was my first Universiade match, I will learn a lot from this experience and will deliver a game without regrets. Thank you to everyone who supported me."
Namadi Joel Jin, along with Seominjun, Lee Jae-sung, and Kim Jeong-yun, formed the national team and crossed the finish line with a time of 38.50 seconds in the men's 400m relay final at the '2025 Rhine-Ruhr Summer Universiade' held in Germany on the 27th. This is the first time Korea has won a relay gold medal in global competitions, including the Universiade.
Particularly, reactions are emerging that Namadi Joel Jin's face looks familiar, and his unique background is becoming a topic of discussion. He is a former child actor who appeared in the KBS 2TV drama 'Descendants of the Sun', which aired in 2016. In the show, he portrayed a character who innocently demonstrated a misunderstanding by asking the doctor Chi-hoon (played by Onew) to buy him a goat instead of shoes, evoking both emotion and laughter at the time.
That child actor has now grown into a national team sprinter. Born to a Korean mother and a Nigerian long jump national team father, he has nurtured his dream of athletics since elementary school. This gold medal marks the moment his dream became a reality and is a scene that will be remembered in Korean athletics.
President Lee Jae-myung also congratulated on his SNS, stating, "This is the first time that Korean athletics has won the relay event in the Universiade and other global competitions, making it even more meaningful. I hope the valuable gold medal achieved by the national team brings joy and pride to the citizens."
"From 'goat boy' to 'golden hero.' Namadi Joel Jin's dazzling run has only just begun."
[Photo] Namadi Joel Jin SNS., broadcast capture.
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