Olympic champ to be inducted in wrestling hall of fame
.jpg?w=728)
Sim Kwon-ho
By Baek Byung-yeul
Two-time Olympic wrestling champion Sim Kwon-ho will be inducted into this year’s International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) Hall of Fame, according to the association, Thursday.
The retired Greco-Roman wrestler will fly today to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to participate in the ceremony, where he and 15 other wrestlers, including three-time Olympic champion Artur Taimazov of Uzbekistan, will be given the honor
Sim, who is the only Korean wrestle to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000, will become the first Asian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Starting his wrestling career in 1985 as a middle school student, Sim arguably became the greatest Korean wrestler, sweeping all the major international events.
He won gold medals in the men’s 48kg class at the 1994 and 1998 Asian Games and was champion at the 1995 and 1998 World Wrestling Championships.
Later, he raised his weight and competed in the 54kg class to win all the major wrestling competitions again between 1998 and 2000.
Sim coached Korean Olympic wrestlers after retiring in 2004 and also worked as a television commentator for the sport during the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
He now serves as a member of the board of directors at the Korea Wrestling Federation.