South Korea wins first 2026 Asian Games esports medal in Gran Turismo 7

South Korea has secured its first esports medal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after Kim Young-chan claimed bronze in Gran Turismo 7. Kim finished third in the eight-player final at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, on September 23.

Malaysia's Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira won gold with 36 points, while Saudi Arabia's Naif Abdulhakim S Alfaleh took silver. Kim also finished with 25 points but lost the silver-medal tiebreak because Alfaleh placed ahead of him in the final race.

The Gran Turismo 7 final was decided across three races on different circuits and with different cars. Competitors earned points from each race, with their combined scores determining the medal positions.

Kim entered the final on pole after finishing first in the semifinals, but his opening race quickly went wrong.

A crash into the wall on the third lap dropped him down the order, and he eventually finished sixth to collect three points. That left the South Korean needing a much stronger second race to stay in medal contention.

Starting sixth in Race 2, Kim worked his way through the field and reached third by the sixth lap. He continued closing the gap before catching Taj Madira at the finish.

Kim crossed the line in 20:00.052, just 0.054 seconds ahead of the Malaysian driver, to win the race and add 10 points. The result moved him to 13 points overall and third in the standings ahead of the deciding race. Taj Madira and Japan's Ryota Kokubun were tied for the lead with 16 points each.

Taj Madira had finished second in each of the opening two races, putting him in a strong position before the final. He then won the third race and earned 20 points, taking his overall total to 36 and securing Malaysia's first Asian Games esports gold medal.

Kim finished third in the decisive race and ended the competition with 25 points. Alfaleh reached the same total but finished ahead of Kim in Race 3, which gave the Saudi Arabian driver silver and left Kim with bronze. Japan's Kokubun finished fourth overall with 22 points.

Kim competes in both sim racing and real-world motorsport and represents DCT Racing. He earned his place on South Korea's Asian Games team by finishing first in the country's national trials in May.

His bronze gives South Korea its first esports medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Esports has 11 medal events on the 2026 program, with the competition continuing at Aichi Sky Expo into October.