Self-affirmation fuels Kim Min-jae to 20th Ssireum title

Kim Min-jae, the reigning champion in the Baekdu class, has secured his 20th career title at the 2026 Boeun Danho Jangsa Ssireum Championship. The 140kg-and-under wrestler from Yeongam County Folk Ssireum Team defeated Seo Nam-geun of Suwon City Hall 3-0 in the final match, held on Sunday at the Boeun National Sports Center in Chungcheongbuk-do.

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Whenever my mental state wavered, I repeated to myself, 'I can do it,' 'This will be fun,' and 'I'm excited.'

This victory brings Kim's total Jangsa titles to 20, including 17 Baekdu Jangsa titles and 3 Cheonha Jangsa titles. In the semifinals, Kim staged a comeback victory against Jang Seong-woo of MG Saemaul Undong Ssireum Team, winning 2-1. This win avenged his earlier loss to Jang Seong-woo in the round of 16 at the Pyeongchang Odaesancheon Jangsa Championship last month.

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I will continue to work hard with a beginner's mindset to become a consistently winning athlete.

Kim expressed his commitment to continuous effort and maintaining his beginner's mindset to remain a winning athlete. He reflected on his loss in the Pyeongchang tournament, stating that the experience made him stronger. Kim secured the first bout with a 'jappchae-gi' (a type of throw), followed by a 'mirreo-chigi' (pushing and throwing) in the second, and a 'deulbae-jigi' (lifting and throwing) in the third to defeat his opponent.

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The experience of losing to Jang Seong-woo at the last Pyeongchang tournament seems to have made me stronger.