Korean triple jumper Kim Jang-woo [KOREA ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETIC FEDERATIONS]
Triple jumper Kim Jang-woo, 25, of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps, set a new Korean record on Monday — the first in 16 years.
Kim claimed victory in the men’s triple jump at the 79th National Athletics Championships held at Jeongseon Sports Complex in Gangwon, recording a distance of 17.13 meters (56 feet 2.3 inches). The jump surpassed the previous national record of 17.10 meters, set by Kim Deok-hyeon in 2009, by 3 centimeters.
On his fifth attempt on Monday, Kim Jang-woo leaped 16.92 meters, beating his previous personal best of 16.85 meters (55 feet 3.5 inches). He then broke the national record on his final, sixth attempt.
“I ran every single day without rest to break the Korean record,” Kim said. “I feel proud to have shown younger athletes that hard work pays off. I hope we can all continue pushing each other to new records.”
The qualifying standard for the men’s triple jump at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September is 17.22 meters, meaning Kim must add another 12 centimeters to his personal best.
“The Tokyo Worlds aren’t far off, but I’ll give it my all to qualify,” he added.
Kim’s rival, Yu Gyu-min of Yongin City Hall, finished second with 16.70 meters.
Korean sprinter Ko Seung-hwan [KOREA ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETIC FEDERATIONS]
“The weather and wind conditions were ideal today, which helped produce good results,” said Kim Jong-il, head coach of the national vertical jump team. “I hope both Kim Jang-woo and Yu Gyu-min earn spots at the World Championships in Tokyo and show that Korea’s triple jumpers can compete on the world stage.”
Sprinter Ko Seung-hwan, who specializes in the 200 meters, advanced to the final after clocking 20.45 seconds in the semifinals — improving on his previous best of 20.49 seconds set in June last year at the national championships. The time was just 0.05 seconds short of the national record of 20.40 seconds, set by Park Tae-geon in 2018.
Jang Jae-keun, former head of the Jincheon National Training Center, ranks second all-time with a 20.41-second finish.
In the women’s 200-meter final, Kim So-eun of Gapyeong County Office won with a new meet record of 23.93 seconds — the fourth-fastest time ever recorded by a Korean woman.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
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