Asian Games Swimming Champion Cho Dies at 57

Cho Oh-ryeon, former Asian Games swimming champion, died of heart failure at his home in coastal village of South Jeolla Province Tuesday. He was 57.

His wife reported to the authorities concerned, finding that Cho fell to the ground at the door of his house in Haenam at 11: 32 a.m.

"I found my husband collapsed at the door when coming back from my hiking to the hill," said Lee, 44, wife of Cho.

He was immediately sent to a nearby hospital but failed to survive the heart failure despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation to death at 12:45, a hospital spokesman said.

Dubbed as "Asian Fur Seal" for his swimming capability, Cho won gold medals in both 400m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle in man's division twice at the Asian Games - in 1970 and 1974.

He set his 50th Korean records in swimming in 1978. He crossed the Korean Strait between Korea and Japan in 1980. He also crossed the Dover Strait in 1982 and the Korean Strait again in the same year. He also swam 280 kilometers on River Han in 2003 and to Dokdo, controversial due to claim of sovereignty by Japan, in 2005 and successfully circulated the islet for 33 times in swimming three years later.

He graduated from the business administration department of Korea University in 1976 and finished master's course on history at the university in 1981.

He was born in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, on Oct. 5, 1952.