Former wrestling world champion Jang Chang-sun dies at 83
Former wrestler Jang Chang-sun during his time as head of the National Training Center in Taeneung, Seoul / Courtesy of Korean Sport & Olympic Committee
Former wrestler Jang Chang-sun, the first Korean athlete to win a world championship, died Monday at age 83.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced Jang's passing and said the former athlete will be honored in an official funeral organized by the KSOC this week.
Jang won an Asian Games silver medal in 1962 and added an Olympic silver medal two years later. Then in 1966, Jang became the first Korean athlete in any sport to capture a world title, winning the men's 52-kilogram freestyle gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Toledo, Ohio.
Following his retirement, Jang worked as executive director and later vice president of the Korea Wrestling Federation. He also served as head of the National Training Center in Taeneung, northern Seoul, from 2000 to 2003.
Jang Chang-sun, second from right, smiles after winning the silver medal in the men's freestyle flyweight event at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Courtesy of Korean Sport & Olympic Committee
He served on the executive board for the organizing committee of the 2014 Asian Games, which were held in his hometown of Incheon, just west of Seoul.
For his accomplishments and contributions on and off the mat, Jang was recognized with two Presidential Commendations and several other national sports honors.
The KSOC inducted Jang into its Sports Hall of Fame as a "Sports Hero" in 2014.
"Jang Chang-sun wrote new history for Korean sports as our first-ever world champion," KSOC President Ryu Seung-min said. "We will always remember and inherit the noble spirit and accomplishments of the man who dedicated his whole life to the development of sports in the country."