Kim Hye-gyong

Kim Hye-gyong (Korean: 김혜경; Korean pronunciation: [kim.ɦe.ɡjʌŋ] or [kim] [he.ɡjʌŋ]; born 9 March 1993) is a North Korean long-distance runner.[2]

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.
Kim Hye-gyong
Personal information
Born (1993-03-09) 9 March 1993
Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea
Height153 cm (5 ft 0 in)[1]
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
김혜경
Revised RomanizationGim Hyegyeong
McCune–ReischauerKim Hyegyŏng
Sport
Country North Korea
SportAthletics
Event(s)Marathon
TeamPyongyang Sports Team
Coached byJong Myong-chol
Achievements and titles
World finals
  • 2013: Marathon – 8th
Highest world ranking8th (marathon, 2013)
Personal best(s)Marathon: 2:28:32[2]
Medal record
2015 Hong KongMarathon
Updated on 5 September 2015.

Marathoner Kim Hye-song is her sister. They are fraternal twins. Hye-gyong is the younger.[1] 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.[3] Together they train five times a week, running 25–30 km (16–19 mi) a day.[3]

The sisters Kim, along with Kim Mi-gyong (no relation) are considered the most prominent of North Korean female marathoners today.[4] Kim Hye-gyong represents the Pyongyang Sports Team.[5] She has a brother, a marathoner representing the April 25 Sports Team.[6]

Career

Kim is from Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province.[4] Already physically active in kindergarten,[6] she and her sister started running in middle-school at the age of 14. They were proven good runners and Kim won many competitions.[4][6] Kim's ability to maintain high speed and good composure in particular made her stand out.[6] The sisters' father was a marathon coach at that time.[7] Kim trained at Kumchon County Juvenile Sports School.[6] The sisters then moved to the capital Pyongyang.[4] 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.[6][7]

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.[7] However, Kim was not among those who raced there.[8]

Kim's standing of 8th at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics brought her fame in her just second ever race abroad.[3]

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".[9][lower-alpha 1] Kim started in the women's marathon at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, but did not finish the race.[10]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2011 2011 Summer Universiade Shenzhen, China — Half marathon DNF[11]
2012 Pyongyang Marathon Pyongyang, North Korea 2nd[12] Marathon 2:31:29[2]
2013 Pyongyang Marathon Pyongyang, North Korea 2nd[12] Marathon 2:28:32[2]
2013 World Championships in Athletics Moscow, Russia 8th[4] Marathon 2:35:49[2]
Great Eastern Women's Run Singapore 1st Half marathon 1:15:59[13]
2014 Pyongyang Marathon Pyongyang, North Korea 1st[12] Marathon 2:27:05[2]
2014 Asian Games Incheon, South Korea 7th[4] Marathon 2:36:38[1]
2015 15th Asian Marathon Championship Hong Kong 1st Marathon 2:31:46[4]
2015 World Championships in Athletics Beijing, China — Marathon DNF[10]

Notes and references
  1. The last and only time North Korea has won a medal at the World Championships in Athletics was Jong Song-ok's women's marathon gold at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain.[4]

References
  1. Kim Han-joo (2 October 2014). "(Asiad) N. Korean twin runners compete in women's marathon". english.yonhapnews.co.kr. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  2. "IAAF: Athlete profile for Hye-Gyong Kim". iaaf.org. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. "N. Koreans out to impress". The Strait Times. AsiaOne. 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  4. "IAAF: Kim Hye Gyong surprises with Hong Kong Marathon win". iaaf.org. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  5. "Twin Sisters, Talented Marathoners of DPRK". KCNA. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  6. "Promising Girl Marathoner". Naenara. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  7. Choe Chol Nam (14 March 2015). "First gold medallist of the year". The Pyongyang Times. Naenara. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  8. "Marathon women results - Athletics - London 2012 Olympics". olympic.org. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  9. Sallay, Alvin (26 January 2015). "North Korea best as Kim Hye-gyong fends off African challenge to win women's marathon". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  10. "Results / Marathon Women - Final". iaafbeijing2015.com. 30 August 2015. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  11. "Longgang Marathon Road Course. Athletics. Half Marathon Women. Final. Results" (PDF). web.archive.org. 21 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  12. Minshull, Phil (13 April 2014). "IAAF: Chol and Gyong take the honours in Pyongyang". iaaf.org. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. Chen, May (10 November 2013). "North Korean twin sisters take top two spots at Great Eastern Women's Run 2013". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 August 2015.

Further reading
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