South Korea's First Asian Games Esports Medal: GT7 Bronze
South Korean racer and gamer Kim Young-chan won bronze in the Gran Turismo 7 esports final at the 2026 Asian Games, delivering South Korea's first esports medal of this year's Games.
Kim finished third at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, around 35 kilometers south of host city Nagoya, according to South Korea's official Yonhap News Agency.
How The Final Unfolded
The Gran Turismo 7 final featured eight players racing across three rounds on different circuits using different cars, Yonhap reported. Kim took pole position for the first race after topping the semifinals but crashed into a wall on the third lap, dropping to sixth.
He recovered in the second race, climbing from sixth to third by the sixth lap before eventually taking the checkered flag.
In the medal-deciding third race, held on a virtual circuit using a high-output concept car, Kim ran a strategic pit-stop battle with rivals, closing to within 3.3 seconds of the race leader on the final lap before being caught at the line.
He finished with 25 points overall, level with Saudi Arabia's Naif Abdulhakim S. Alfaleh on points, but placed behind him on the tie-break from the final race.
Full Podium And Medal Context
Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira of Malaysia won gold and Alfaleh of Saudi Arabia took silver, per Yonhap. Kim's bronze is South Korea's first medal in esports at the 2026 Asian Games, which features 11 gaming events in Aichi and Nagoya, including Gran Turismo 7 and League of Legends.
It was Kim's first Asian Games appearance representing South Korea; he previously finished runner-up at the 2021 Porsche Gran Turismo Cup Asia-Pacific and reached the semifinals of the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games esports GT class, according to South Korean outlet Newsis.
Why It Matters For Betting And Esports Markets
Sim-racing's growing footprint at multi-sport events like the Asian Games continues to widen mainstream recognition of esports as a competitive discipline, alongside titles such as League of Legends on the same medal table.
That recognition feeds into the broader esports betting markets which are available on most of the leading betting sites, where sim-racing and major franchise esports increasingly sit alongside traditional sports on operator platforms as governing bodies formalize competitive structures.
