Korean Athletics Makes New History: Kim Jang-woo Sets New National Record in Men's Triple Jump
Kim Jang-woo (25), affiliated with the Military Athletic Corps, has set a new national record in the men’s triple jump, breaking a record that had stood for 16 years.
On the 23rd, at the 79th National Athletic Championships held at the Jeongseon Comprehensive Sports Complex in Gangwon Province, Kim achieved a distance of 17.13 meters, surpassing the previous record of 17.10 meters set by Kim Deok-hyun in June 2009 by 3 centimeters.
In the fifth attempt of the day, Kim recorded 16.92 meters, breaking his previous personal best of 16.85 meters, and achieved the remarkable feat of setting a new national record in his final sixth attempt. This marked a pivotal moment in the history of Korean athletics.
Valuable Achievement of Setting a New National Record
After the competition, Kim expressed his feelings, stating, "I have been training hard every day to break the Korean record. I feel proud to show my juniors that dedication pays off."
He also outlined his future goals, saying, "Although the Tokyo World Championships are just around the corner, I will do my best to qualify by surpassing the standard mark of 17.22 meters, rather than just focusing on rankings."
Diverse Records Illuminating the Future of Korean Athletics
Kim Jong-il, the national team head coach for vertical jumps, commented, "The weather and wind conditions today were favorable, leading to good results." He expressed hope that "both Kim Jang-woo and Yoo Gyu-min can qualify for the Tokyo World Championships, demonstrating that our country's triple jump can perform on the world stage."
On that day, Kim Jang-woo's rival, Yoo Gyu-min (Yongin City Hall), finished in second place with a distance of 16.70 meters.
In the men's 200m semifinals of the same tournament, Go Seung-hwan advanced to the finals with a record of 20.45 seconds, marking the top time overall. This is a personal best, improving by 0.04 seconds from his previous 20.49 seconds set at the national championships on June 26 last year.
The current national record in the men’s 200m is 20.40 seconds, set by Park Tae-geon in June 2018, while Jang Jae-geun, former head of the Jincheon Sports Village, holds the second-best record in Korea with 20.41 seconds set in September 1985.
Go Seung-hwan, who achieved the third-best record in history, plans to challenge the national record in the finals of the national championships to be held on the 24th.
In the women's 200m finals, Kim So-eun (Gapyeong County Office) won with a new event record of 23.93 seconds. This time is also the fourth-best in the history of Korean women’s athletics.
Shin Hyun-jin (Pohang City Hall) came in second with a time of 24.19 seconds, while Kim So-eun's twin sister, Kim Da-eun (Gapyeong County Office), placed third with a time of 24.45 seconds.
On the previous day, Kim So-eun secured first place in the women's 100m with a personal best of 11.79 seconds, achieving the title of champion in two events at this competition.
Image Source: Kim Jang-woo taking a commemorative photo after setting a new Korean record of 17.13 meters in the men's triple jump at the 79th National Athletics Championships held in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province on the 23rd / Photos = Korean Athletics Federation, Kim Jang-woo / Photos = Korean Athletics Federation, Go Seung-hwan / Photos = Korean Athletics Federation, Kim So-eun / Photos = Korean Athletics Federation.
