With '9.99' on his ring, Joeljin Nwamadi eyes Korea's first sub-10-second 100m

“Obviously, the goal is to win a gold medal. But my lifelong goal is to break the 10-second barrier.”

Joeljin Nwamadi made his ultimate ambition clear. Competing for the Yecheon County Office track and field team, the 20-year-old sprinter is widely regarded as the “hope of Korean sprinting.”

Breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters has long been a dream for Korean sprinting, one that even retired national record holder Kim Kuk-young fell short of achieving, with a personal best of 10.07 seconds.

If Nwamadi succeeds in finishing in under 10 seconds, the feat would also give him a strong chance of reaching the podium at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. When the Hankook Ilbo met him at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province, the sprinter, set to make his Asian Games debut, was poised to pursue multiple milestones.

So far, his momentum suggests the prospect is not entirely beyond reach. On July 19, Nwamadi crossed the finish line in a men’s 100-meter guest race at the 2026 Niigata Prefecture Athletics Championships in 10.13 seconds, a personal best and the second-fastest performance by a Korean man in history.

Eight days earlier, he had clocked 10.16 seconds at a meet in Niigata. This season alone, he has lowered his personal best three times, putting him in the form of his life.

Those times were the result of meticulous planning rather than a fluke, according to Nwamadi.

“One of the things my coach and I always discuss is delivering consistent performances without ups and downs,” he said, emphasizing that he keeps his body ready at all times to make a run at breaking the 10-second barrier.

“If I can consistently run around 10.1 or 10.2 seconds, an opportunity to set a new record will come when the conditions and timing all fall into place.”

It is a strategy born from a keen understanding of the importance of taking care of his body. Born to a Nigerian father and a Korean mother, Nwamadi was already regarded as a promising talent when he took up track and field in fifth grade.

But inflammation in his heel prevented him from running properly during middle school. It was only after entering high school and sweeping a series of youth competitions that Nwamadi began to make a name for himself.

Those early setbacks led him to take meticulous care of his physical condition, even away from competition.

“I’m always mindful of what I eat because I’m allergic to peanuts and peaches,” he said. “I’m especially cautious when traveling abroad.”

At the same time, maintaining peak physical condition is not just solely about his individual performance. Nwamadi is also set to pursue Korea’s first Asian Games gold medal in the men’s 4x100-meter relay alongside Biwesa Daniel Kashama, 23, of Ansan City Hall; Seo Min-jun, 22, of Seocheon County Office; Lee Jae-sung, 25, of Gwangju City Hall; and Kim Si-on, 27, of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps.

The sprinters established themselves among Asia’s best by winning both the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, and the FISU World University Games in Germany last year.

Of the team, Nwamadi is the youngest. When asked whether that puts him in a difficult position, Nwamadi laughed, saying there is no such thing as older teammates forcing him to do their bidding.

“Instead, we all gather around the PlayStation and play UFC games during breaks,” he said. “And there’s Si-on, who is always cracking jokes, so I’m having fun with the national team.”

But while the atmosphere within the team may be amiable, competition among its members remains fierce. Biwesa, for example, is a strong contender in the individual event who shares second place with Nwamadi on Korea’s all-time men’s 100-meter list.

Nwamadi, however, gave a composed response. “I get better because Biwesa is there,” he said. “We’ll run toward the same goal in the relay and compete fiercely in the individual event.”

Nwamadi also named sprinters from Thailand, Malaysia and Japan as his main competitors. But in the end, Nwamadi's biggest challenge is himself. Breaking into the 9-second range will require him to surpass his own limits.

The ring on the middle finger of his right hand represents that determination. Engraved on its surface is the number “9.99.”

“My mother gave me this ring, and after thinking about what I should have engraved on it, I chose this number,” Nwamadi said. “I’ll make sure I achieve that dream.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.