Cross-country skier set for Olympic glory
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Magnus Kim
Olympic hopeful Magnus Kim, 19, won the men’s 15-kilometer cross-country skiing during the 98th National Winter Sports Festival at the Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Center in the eastern city of Gangneung, Saturday. He finished the race in 38 minutes and 48.4 seconds.
During the four-day national championship competition, the cross-country skier secured one gold and three silvers.
Kim said the results were “not bad,” considering his physical condition during the week. He had the flu last week and was unable to practice a lot. “My condition was the worst all during the championships. I did my best under the harsh conditions,” he said.
His achievements during the 98th National Winter Sports Festival fell far short of what he had achieved in previous editions. He swept the cross-country games by winning four golds in 2014 during the same event and three in 2013, while competing in the high school division.
This year’s national championship is his first time competing in the senior division. Asked if the results he garnered during the competition were associated with his problems adapting to the senior division, he said no and that his results were more related to his physical condition.
Starting on Feb. 9, the national championship was held for four days in Seoul, Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces. Athletes representing their provinces competed in seven sporting events, including speed skating, skiing and biathlon.
Kim, a dual citizen with a Korean mother and Norwegian father, became a PyeongChang Olympic hopeful after he won two golds and a silver in cross-country skiing during the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He is the first Korean skier to win medals in an international sports competition.
In 2015, the cross-country skier chose to represent Korea during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Under International Olympic Committee rules, athletes of dual citizenship are required to choose which country they are to represent three years in advance of competing.
He said it was a tough decision to make and he consulted with his parents before choosing the country he was to represent. He has no regrets.
“Cross-country skiing is not a popular sport and few Koreans have heard about it before me,” he said. “But now many Koreans are aware of the winter sport following media coverage of me, which is great.”
Born in 1998 in the southeastern port city of Busan, Kim spent his early childhood years there and went to Norway in 2003. He has since traveled back and forth between the two countries for study and to participate in competitions.
His father, Aage Boe, met his mother in the southern city when he worked with the shipbuilding industry. He had frequent business trips to Busan. Kim’s Korean has a strong Busan accent.
Since he joined the Korean national team in 2015, he has been widely considered the most likely Korean skier to win a medal in the PyeongChang Olympics.
Asked if he feels pressure for the Olympics, he said he tries not to be too ambitious. “PyeongChang will be my first Olympics and so I’d like to fully prepare myself to pull together the best possible results,” he said. “This is my goal for the Olympics. What kinds of medals I get is not important. In case I don’t get a medal, I would still be happy if I did my best and got the best records that I can pull together.”
Kim will head to Sapporo, Japan, for the Sapporo Asian Winter Games on Feb. 16. He will compete there in five games including sprint.