People: Beijing Marathon Laureate
Beijing Marathon Winner Kim Jung Won
Kim Jung Won, 25, is the laurel-wreathed victor at the 1998 Beijing Marathon Game (Oct. 10), and the first north Korean long-distance runner who has won a major international race.
“To tell the truth, I didn’t like marathon so much. It’s hard, painful, and required a kind of self-abuse. I tried to quit running many times. But I knew very well that I was nothing without this sport,” Kim said frankly.The Beijing game changed dramatically at the 30-km point of the 42.195-km race when a south Korean athlete made a spurt, running ahead of six others in the first group including top-class veterans.
While the other five failed to catch up with the pacemaker, Kim faithfully remained sticked to him.
“At that time, I instantly decided to let him do what he liked, and develop my own game right before the goal. While following him, the memory of the past hard training and the nightmare at the Atlanta Olympics (38th at the marathon race) crossed my mind.”True to his strategy, he made a last spurt at the 41-km point. After developing a fierce battle for the top position, he finally cut the tape of glory, with a record of 2 hours 13 minutes and 49 second, leaving the south Korean runner-up 150 meters behind.
“At that moment, every bad scene in the past turned into good memory.”Born in 1973 at Anbyong County, Kangwon Province, as the youngest of the five brothers and sisters, the 172-cm racer started running at a local marathon club at the age of 15. It took less than two years for him with his gift to win a post of a national delegate.
During the past several years, he marked a sweeping victory over main domestic races. He also won the 4th at last year
’s Beijing competition. “My next target is to touch the level of 2 hours 8 minute. I want to be a ‘breakthrough’ in the DPRK marathon community which has been sluggish in the past decade at main world races.”Copyright © 1998 The People's Korea. All rights reserved.