Achieving 2nd overall (54,888 points)—the best performance in a non-hosting competition since the 2006 Gimcheon National Sports Festival

16 events with overall podium finishes, stellar performances by Asian Games athletes, and elevated prestige of Gyeongbuk 

Gyeongsangbuk-do has achieved 2nd overall at the 107th National Sports Festival held across Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Surpassing the initial goal of 3rd overall, Gyeongbuk climbed two spots from last year's 4th overall.

The Gyeongbuk delegation sent 2,077 participants—including 1,469 athletes and 608 officials across 49 events—over the 7-day period from October 16 to 22, recording a total score of 54,888 points. In terms of medals, they secured a total of 324, including 94 gold, 107 silver, and 123 bronze medals.

Following the separation of Daegu and Gyeongbuk in 1981, Gyeongbuk previously claimed 2nd overall with 69,553 points at the 2006 Gimcheon National Sports Festival. Excluding competitions hosted by Gyeongbuk, this event marks the province's highest performance on record.

Systematic athlete development, support for performance enhancement, and the dedicated efforts of athletes and coaches translated into these outstanding results.

■ Overall Podium Finishes in 16 Events, Driven by Well-Rounded Performance

In sport-specific overall results, 6 events claimed 1st place overall, including roller sports (2,567 points), cycling (2,241 points), equestrian (1,244 points), track athletics (3,436 points), soft tennis (2,348 points), and table tennis (2,452 points).

Athletics road race, sailing, wushu, hapkido, and hockey finished 2nd overall in their respective 5 events, while volleyball, bowling, archery, judo, and finswimming secured 3rd overall in 5 events. Gyeongbuk demonstrated well-rounded competitiveness by placing overall in 16 different sports.

■ First-Ever Medal in Mountaineering, Confirming New Possibilities for Gyeongbuk Sports

This competition also brought achievements that broke past previous boundaries. Hwang Ji-min (a 3rd-year student at Hyunil High School) won a bronze medal in the sport climbing speed event. This marks the first-ever medal for Gyeongbuk in a mountaineering event at the National Sports Festival.

■ The Emotion of the Asian Games Continues to the National Sports Festival... Shining

Performances by Sports Stars National team athletes from Gyeongbuk who competed at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held in Japan last September led the Gyeongbuk delegation to victory at the National Sports Festival as well.

Namadi Joel Jin (Yecheon County Office), who won a bronze medal with a Korean record of 38.43 seconds in the men's 400m relay at the Asian Games, won the men's general division 100m in 10.35 seconds. He also set a meet record of 20.47 seconds in the 200m, achieving a double crown and his second consecutive victory in the event.

Huh Mimi (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) won the gold medal in the women's general division judo under-57kg category, achieving her second consecutive National Sports Festival title. Kim Je-deok (Yecheon County Office) captured the men's general division archery 50m title for the second consecutive year and also won the individual gold medal, becoming a double champion.

■ Fierce Teamwork, Multiple Wins, and Streak Victories Showcase Gyeongbuk

Delegation's Fighting Spirit In table tennis, Duho High School (men's U-18 division) and National Gyeongguk University (men's university division) each won gold medals. Seongju Girls' High School secured its 3rd consecutive victory in the women's U-18 field hockey event.

Kim Seo-young (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office) recorded her 11th consecutive win in the women's general division 200m individual medley, 10th consecutive win in the 800m freestyle relay, and 6th consecutive win in the 400m freestyle relay. She also set a meet record of 57.85 seconds in the 100m butterfly, becoming a quadruple champion of the event.

Cho Hyun-joo (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office) in swimming, Kwon Nam-ho (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) in finswimming, Jang Su-ji (Sangju City Hall) in cycling, and Han Ji-hye (Gyeongbuk Development Corporation) in weightlifting also became triple champions.

Kwon Nam-ho achieved his 5th consecutive victory in the men's general division 50m surface finswimming. Son Kyung-mi (Gumi City Hall) recorded her 5th consecutive win in the women's general division 400m hurdles. Kwon Eun-ji (Uljin County Office) set a meet record of 252.6 points in the women's general division air rifle individual event.

■ Proving the Competitiveness of School Sports, Laying the Foundation for Future

Gyeongbuk Sports Growth The high school student delegation won 110 medals—32 gold, 34 silver, and 44 bronze—ranking 3rd overall for the 6th consecutive time.

Both the men's and women's U-18 soft tennis teams won gold medals in their respective team events. Promising young athletes such as Bang Jun-young (Gimcheon Life Science High School) in cycling, Son Ye-rin (Pohang Idong High School) in athletics, and Seo Ye-rim (Gyeongbuk Physical Education High School) also won gold medals.

The support from the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education and the talent nurturing efforts of school faculty contributed to these achievements.

Kim Jum-doo, President of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Sports Council, stated, "This National Sports Festival is a meaningful event that demonstrated the potential and prestige of Gyeongbuk sports by achieving 2nd overall without the advantage of being the host region, marking our best performance since the 87th Gimcheon National Sports Festival in 2006. I extend my deep gratitude and encouragement to the athletes and coaches who showed unyielding fighting spirit for the honor of Gyeongbuk."

He added, "Without resting on our laurels, we will further strengthen our competitiveness across all sports, discover and foster talented athletes, and improve training environments to build an even more solid foundation for Gyeongbuk sports."

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "This achievement is a precious result created by the sweat and hard work of our athletes, the dedication of our coaches, and the passionate support of our provincial residents. I am extremely proud of our delegation for giving their absolute best until the very end and elevating the honor of the people of Gyeongsangbuk-do."

He added, "Gyeongsangbuk-do will continue to provide unwavering support for sports infrastructure and athlete development so that our sports figures can freely pursue their dreams and unleash their utmost capabilities."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]