▲ Kim Min-jun
Kim Min-jun (Daegu Sports Council) has become the first South Korean male bodybuilder to capture the overall title at the 2026 IFBB World Fitness and Bodybuilding Championships.
The Korea Bodybuilding Association announced on November 4 that Kim achieved a milestone in South Korean bodybuilding history by winning the gold medal in the men’s 85kg-and-over bodybuilding division and subsequently claiming the overall title, which is contested by the winners of each weight class, at the competition held in Santa Susanna, Spain, through November 2.
According to the association, Kim is the first South Korean male athlete to win the overall title in men’s bodybuilding at the World Bodybuilding Championships.
Other male athletes also continued a streak of multiple gold medals.
Go Chan-gyeong (Gwangjin-gu Office) secured two titles by dominating the men’s games classic bodybuilding under-171cm class and the classic bodybuilding under-171cm class, while Kim Tae-jin (Nature Fitness) earned gold medals in the men’s masters bodybuilding over-50 class and the masters classic physique over-40 class, respectively.
Bae Cheol-hyeong (Green Fit Korea) won the men’s physique over-182cm class and the men’s fit model open, and Song Si-hoon (Gumi City Sports Council) claimed victories in the men’s games classic bodybuilding under-180cm class and the classic bodybuilding under-180cm class, bringing the total number of athletes winning two crowns to four.
In addition, Baek Seong-hun (Sejong City Bodybuilding Association) secured a gold medal and the overall title in the men’s masters games classic bodybuilding over-45 class, while Lee Jae-cheon (Sejong City Bodybuilding Association) captured the gold medal and overall title in the men’s classic bodybuilding over-180cm class.
Medals also followed in the women’s events.
Park Seon-yeon (Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Bodybuilding Association) won a gold medal in the women’s fit physique open, and Choi Seo-young (Gumi City Sports Council) claimed a silver medal in the women’s masters bodyfitness 45-49 age class and a bronze medal in the women’s masters bodyfitness over-168cm class.
The South Korean national men’s and women’s teams won a total of 18 medals at the competition, including 12 gold medals, 5 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal.
The men’s national team achieved overall first place in the masters bodybuilding division and overall second place in the bodybuilding division.
(Photo courtesy of the Korea Bodybuilding Association, Yonhap News)
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