“What’s important is the process of completing the race!”
On the starting line, everyone has hope. They dream of flying faster and higher. The reality is much colder. The road to the target is still a long way off. Even if you feel short of breath as if you are about to collapse and pain in your legs, you have to endure it. Only those who win the battle against yourself can cross the finish line. It is the point where track and field meet with life. “Everyone wants to win first place. What is important is the process to complete the race,” said Kim Geon-woo, a former member of the Korean national team who set a new milestone in the decathlon.
◆ by chance, on the edge of a cliff
Decathlon. It is no exaggeration to say that this slightly unfamiliar sport is challenging human limits. You have to perform as many as 10 different sports even though you can’t do well in one event. You have to be very versatile and build up your stamina to perform it. It takes two days to complete. The race entails running of 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high throw, and 400-meter dash on the first day, and the 110-meter hurdle, discus throw, pole vaulter, javelin throw, and 1,500-meter dash on the second day. The final rankings are determined by scores in each event.
Kim Geon-woo was unfamiliar with decathlon. He first started running when he was 10 years old. At first, he liked just running. As he got older, he faced the challenges of reality. He couldn’t find the perfect fit for him. When he entered Gyeongbuk Sports High School, he tried to change from running to jumping, but that didn’t change much. “When I was a junior in high school, I quit exercising after finishing three out of six competitions. I moved from an athletic class to a studying class,” Kim said.
It was hard to let go of track and field where he spent half of his life. As his last bastion, he found a decathlon. “I looked out the window during class and saw some elementary school kids running on the field. I was wondering why not,” Kim said. Back then, one of the coaches of the high school track and field team suggested decathlon. The coach stopped him, but he wanted to grab a straw. “I was allowed to challenge myself by promising to do as much damage as possible to others,” Kim said.
◆ like fate, with its wings in full bloom
The time of destiny came sooner than I thought. He just took part in the decathlon two weeks after transitioning to a higher level of study. As he transferred to a study class for a while, there was a gap. “A score of 5,800 or higher is a medal ticket. If that were the case, the college entrance exam would have been much easier,” Kim said. “I practiced before the competition and got about 5150 points. It seemed impossible.” However, one of my best friends was a high jumper. “I think I kept thinking about his competition.”
No one was paying attention to Kim. “If I didn’t have such a presence, the bus would have left without picking me up after the first day of the competition,” Kim said in frustration. The prelude to a reversal was the pole vault. He took on a bold challenge amid his friend’s support. The maximum practice time was 2 meters 70 centimeters. He applied for a 3 meters at his first attempt. The coach and the coach got furious. He failed in both the first and second attempts. He made a dramatic breakthrough in the final attempts. He then succeeded up to 3 meters 80 meters in succession. Kim set a new student record on the day.
She won her first career medal in a decathlon at her first competition. She must have had mixed feelings. “I cried a lot in the bathroom,” Kim recalled. People around her still doubted. I was lucky. I wanted to show more. It wasn’t a sparkle. She also set new student records in succession at the ministerial flag of culture, sports and tourism (winning at the time in an exhibition game and runner-up at the National Sports Festival). She did not stop. She headed to the World Championships, Asian Games and Asian Athletics Championships under the national flag.
◆ To the top, not rough
He has achieved numerous achievements. He won a bronze medal at Doha AG in 2006 and a silver medal at Guangzhou AG in 2010. He won silver medals back-to-back at the 2000 Jakarta and 2005 Incheon Asian Championships. Notably, the 2011 Daegu World Athletics Championships was an unforgettable memory. He stood on the stage of his dream, which he had longed for, but he felt deeply saddened. There was no coach to complete the ankle taping with assistance from people around him. He became the first person to cross the finish line in the 1,500-meter race. The new Korean record (7860 points) that he set at the time is still unbroken.
It was a time when he became more mature mentally. Kim was actually battling an injury ahead of the 2010 Guangzhou AG. After narrowly missing his berth to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he had to undergo a bit of an over-the-top schedule. It was training and training. “I think I was drunk on myself,” Kim confessed. He started to get sick. He fractured his right back muscle in 2008 and injured his left muscle in 2009. He thought it was his last chance to play for the Guangzhou AG. His realization then continued until the 2011 World Championships. 토토사이트
She has learned many things from watching world-class athletes closely. One of them is Trey Hardy from the U.S. He is a gold medalist in 10 events at the Daegu World Athletics Championships. Kim flew all the way to the U.S. and chased after Trey Hardy’s every move. “I think I really bothered you,” Kim said. “The culture itself was different. I was in a hurry when there was a big competition, so I tried to make it as perfect as possible. Trey Hardy was different. It’s important to focus and exercise, but also to rest.”
◆ one step back, the realization of life
In 2017, he left track and field where he had been together for nearly 30 years. He finished his career and prepared for the second act. He performed in various fields. He established a personal training center specializing in track and field called “Ground K” and stood in front of the camera as a commentator. He recorded the highest ratings at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I think I should do well in 10 events to win one medal. It was unfair, but coming out to the stage helped me a lot, including when explaining.”
I don’t stop walking.
