Kim Hye-gyong explained

Kim Hye-gyong
Birth Date:9 March 1993
Birth Place:Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea
Height:153 cm
Sport:Athletics
Event:Marathon
Team:Pyongyang Sports Team
Coach:Jong Myong-chol
Highestranking:8th (marathon, 2013)
Pb:Marathon: 2:28:32
Updated:5 September 2015
Module:
Hangul:김혜경
Rr:Gim Hyegyeong
Mr:Kim Hyegyŏng
Context:north
Child:yes

Kim Hye-gyong (; pronounced as /ko/ or pronounced as /ko/ pronounced as /ko/; born 9 March 1993) is a North Korean long-distance runner.[1]

Marathoner Kim Hye-song is her sister. They are fraternal twins. Hye-gyong is the younger. Their mutual coach, Jong Myong-chol, describes their healthy rivalry in races and friendship as the key to their success. According to Jong, Hye-gyong has a livelier personality of the twins and trains harder. Together they train five times a week, running 25km–30kmkm (16miles–20mileskm) a day.

The sisters Kim, along with Kim Mi-gyong (no relation) are considered the most prominent of North Korean female marathoners today. Kim Hye-gyong represents the Pyongyang Sports Team.[2] She has a brother, a marathoner representing the April 25 Sports Team.

Career

Kim is from Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province. Already physically active in kindergarten, she and her sister started running in middle-school at the age of 14. They were proven good runners and Kim won many competitions.[3] Kim's ability to maintain high speed and good composure in particular made her stand out. The sisters' father was a marathon coach at that time.[4] Kim trained at Kumchon County Juvenile Sports School.[5] The sisters then moved to the capital Pyongyang.[3] Kim subsequently won events such as 5,000 m, 10,000 m and 30 km in domestic tournaments like the 2009 Jonsung Cup and the 2011 national championships.[5] [4]

After having won the half marathon at the 2010 Pyongyang Marathon, she was selected to represent North Korea as a part of the national team. She went on to win the 2011 half marathon and coming second at the 2012 full marathon in Pyongyang, too. These results earned North Korea a berth to the 2012 London Olympics.[4] However, Kim was not among those who raced there.[6]

Kim's standing of 8th at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics brought her fame in her just second ever race abroad.[7]

Kim then took a surprise victory over many East African favorites at the 2015 Hong Kong Marathon serving as that year's Asian Marathon Championship, taking home a $65,000 prize. Sports journalist Pat Butcher considered the victory an important step toward the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, saying: "This is a huge win for North Korea. The last time a woman from North Korea won the world championships was in 1999 in Seville. Maybe this could be Kim's year".[8] Kim started in the women's marathon at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, but did not finish the race.[9]

Achievements

20112011 Summer UniversiadeShenzhen, ChinaHalf marathonDNF[10]
2012Pyongyang MarathonPyongyang, North Korea2nd[11] Marathon2:31:29
2013Pyongyang MarathonPyongyang, North Korea2ndMarathon2:28:32
2013 World Championships in AthleticsMoscow, Russia8thMarathon2:35:49
Great Eastern Women's RunSingapore1stHalf marathon1:15:59[12]
2014Pyongyang MarathonPyongyang, North Korea1stMarathon2:27:05
2014 Asian GamesIncheon, South Korea7thMarathon2:36:38[13]
201515th Asian Marathon ChampionshipHong Kong1stMarathon2:31:46
2015 World Championships in AthleticsBeijing, ChinaMarathonDNF

Notes and references

References

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IAAF: Athlete profile for Hye-Gyong Kim . iaaf.org . 22 August 2015 .
  2. Web site: Twin Sisters, Talented Marathoners of DPRK . . 20 April 2015 . 22 August 2015 . 3 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150703100313/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2015/201504/news20/20150420-28ee.html .
  3. Web site: IAAF: Kim Hye Gyong surprises with Hong Kong Marathon win . iaaf.org . 25 January 2015 . 22 August 2015 .
  4. Web site: First gold medallist of the year . Choe Chol Nam . . . 14 March 2015 . 26 August 2015 .
  5. Web site: Promising Girl Marathoner . . 8 April 2015. 29 August 2015 .
  6. Web site: Marathon women results - Athletics - London 2012 Olympics . olympic.org . 26 August 2015 .
  7. Web site: N. Koreans out to impress . The Straits Times . AsiaOne . 2013 . 23 August 2015 .
  8. Web site: North Korea best as Kim Hye-gyong fends off African challenge to win women's marathon . Sallay . Alvin . South China Morning Post . 26 January 2015 . 27 August 2015 .
  9. Web site: Results / Marathon Women - Final . iaafbeijing2015.com . 30 August 2015 . 5 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305013927/http://loc.en.beijing2015.aws.iaaf.org/download/competition?filename=AT-MAR-W-f----.RS6.pdf&path=%5Cpdf%5C4875%5C&urlslug=marathon-Official%20Results&updatedOn=08%2F30%2F2015%2002%3A32%3A34 . dead . 5 March 2016 . PDF . 3 .
  10. Web site: Longgang Marathon Road Course. Athletics. Half Marathon Women. Final. Results. . 21 August 2011 . 7 October 2011 . 5 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007141908/http://match.sz2011.org/pdf/AT/ATW110101/ATW110101.C73K.ENG.1.0.pdf .
  11. Web site: IAAF: Chol and Gyong take the honours in Pyongyang. Minshull . Phil. iaaf.org . 13 April 2014 . 22 August 2015 .
  12. Web site: North Korean twin sisters take top two spots at Great Eastern Women's Run 2013 . Chen. May. The Straits Times . 10 November 2013 . 22 August 2015 .
  13. Web site: (Asiad) N. Korean twin runners compete in women's marathon . Kim Han-joo . english.yonhapnews.co.kr . 2 October 2014 . 22 August 2015 .