The Korea Times

Bolt to Sprint in Daegu Meeting

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter The world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, is expected to dazzle Korean track fans at the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting on May 19. The organizing committee of the annual event announced Monday that the Jamaican star sprinter would make his first 100-meter appearance of the 2010 season in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The 23-year-old holds world records in the 100 and 200 meters at 9.58 and 19.19 seconds, respectively, set at last year's World Championships in Berlin. ``It is significant that Bolt will open his season with the 100 meters in Daegu,'' said Moon Dong-hoo, vice president of the organizing committee for the Daegu World Championships in Athletics in 2011. ``Bolt is a really popular figure in Korea and everyone hopes that he will set a new record.'' The committee had tried to get Bolt to come to the event the last two years, but he declined, because he was nursing an injury after the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and wrapped up the season earlier despite a verbal agreement in 2009. Instead, last year,

Apr 19, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Yang Wins in China

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter Yang Yong-eun has bagged his third European Tour title, after winning the $2.5 million Volvo China Open in Suzhou, Sunday. The 38-year-old South Korean fired a 1-under 71 for a 15-under 273 total to beat runners-up Rhys Davies and Stephen Dodd of Wales by two at the Suzhou Jinji Lake Golf Club to receive the $416,660 winner's check. Since joining the European circuit in 2005, Yang has won the HSBC Champions in 2007 and the PGA Championship, which is one of four major events on the PGA Tour, in 2009. With the victory, Yang is looking to put on a good performance in front of local fans next week. He, along with other PGA Tour members Anthony Kim and Ernie Els, will compete at the Ballantine's Championship, the only European Tour event to be held in Korea, on his native Jeju Island. After birdying the second hole, he was consistent enough to make 11 straight pars before making another birdie at No. 14 and closed out the tournament with a bogey, which had no effect on him roosting atop the leaderboard. Yang's compatriot Kim Do-hoon t

Apr 18, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Park Placed on Disabled List

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter New York Yankees reliever Park Chan-ho has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (DL) because of a mild hamstring injury. The 36-year-old pulled his right hamstring, while warming up in the bullpen Friday (KST) during a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Park was examined by team physician Christopher Ahmad the next day and an MRI revealed a low-level strain in the same area he injured with the Philadelphia Phillies last season, causing manager Joe Girardi to proceed with caution. ``There's a possibility that he would've pitched for us next week, but you run your bullpen short and the other thing that you do is you take the chance of hurting it even worse,'' Girardi said. Unlike his boss, the 17-year veteran wasn't worried about the injury, saying that last year's injury was in a different spot and much worse, and that he would return. ``It's not really hurt. It's just a little sore,'' Park said. ``They asked me to just think about the DL for 15 days and I'll be 100 percent ready. That's the idea." The Yankees called

Apr 18, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Prep Roster to Be Issued Earlier

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter South Korean football manager Huh Jung-moo will announce his preliminary roster for the World Cup on April 29, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said Thursday. The deadline for submitting a 30-man preliminary squad to FIFA is due on May 11, but before finalizing the 23-player roster, the 55-year-old boss intends to see who will be able to offer more to the team at the South Africa World Cup, which begins on June 11. The final squad is required to be submitted by June 1. After the announcement, Huh plans to train the invited players at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province and cut the squad down to the last 23 either before a friendly with Ecuador on May 16 or Japan on May 24. The coach wants to call up players in early May, but due to the K-League schedule teams are only in a position to release them after May 9. The list is expected to include those based in foreign leagues as well as those battling injuries. From the European leagues, along with team captain Park Ji-sung of Manchester United, AS M

Apr 15, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

KJ Looks to End Title Drought

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter Coming off a strong performance at the Masters, Choi Kyoung-ju is looking to snap his winless streak, which has lasted for more than two years. The 39-year-old South Korean will play this week in the $5.7 million Verizon Heritage tournament on Hilton Head Island, S.C., which will include high-profile players such as Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Stewart Cink. Despite the large number of supporters and the buzz surrounding Tiger Woods, who played with Choi all four days, at the Masters, the Korean put up solid numbers and ended with an 11-under 277 to finish tied for fourth with Woods, five strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson. Choi's solid play has him as one of the early favorites for the title this weekend. When he last triumphed at the Sony Open in January 2008, the seventh title of his career, he was cruising on the PGA Tour as the most successful Korean golfer. However, trouble hit Choi in the same year, when he tried to lose weight with an eye on career longevity. A rapid drop in kilograms negatively influenced

Apr 14, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Seol Still Has World Cup Hope

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter Seol Ki-hyeon is trying to keep alive his goal of playing in football's biggest tournament. He is hoping to recover from injury in time to make the South Korea squad. ``The World Cup is important to every football player and I still have hope to compete at the World Cup in South Africa,'' Seol said Monday after the Pohang Steelers faced Adelaide United at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League in Pohang. But the 31-year-old said that he would not rush his return. ``My strong will to play again just does not guarantee me that I will be able to play at the World Cup. For now, I am trying to recover completely,'' he said. The former South Korean international, who no longer featured in Fulham FC's plans, joined the K-League side in January after ending his 10-year stint in European leagues in order to play on a regular basis and increase his chances of making the World Cup squad. However, before even stepping on K-League turf, a sore knee during an overseas training session in Japan in February ruled him out for a mon

Apr 14, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Korea Hires Chinese Diving Coach

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter The Korea Swimming Federation (KSF) will hire Chinese diving coach Cui Hongda. The swimming body told The Korea Times, Tuesday, that it is in negotiations with him which will be finalized by late this month or early next month. His term is expected to be until the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in November. The 28-year-old is known for coaching Wang Xin, who won a gold medal in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform. Since its first participation in the Asian Games in 1958, South Korean divers have claimed just one gold medal, which came from the 1970 event. Meanwhile, the KSF plans to invite coaches from the United States or Japan to train synchronized swimmers.

Apr 13, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Ethnic, Native Koreans Finish in Top-10

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter With all eyes on Tiger Woods' return and then Phil Mickelson's late surge, two South Korean golfers Choi Kyoung-ju and Yang Yong-eun made quiet yet impressive runs, both finishing in the top-10 at the Masters. With Mickelson winning his third title at 16-under, Choi, 39, had sub-par rounds throughout the four-day tournament to tie for fourth with Woods, his four-day playing partner, for an 11-under 277 and 38-year-old Yang finished in a tie for eighth at 7-under. In addition, Anthony Kim, an American of Korean heritage, made a late surge in the final round into a lone third place, four strokes off the lead. Choi, who entered the final day in a tie for third, had a bogey-free 3-under on the front nine and added another birdie on the 10th hole to briefly join Mickelson in a share of the lead, but back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14 after a pace-of-play warning on the 12th dropped him out of the title mix. ``We (Choi and Woods) were told about our pace on the 12th hole, so that kind of got to me mentally,'' said the seven-time PGA Tour

Apr 12, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Yang Poised to Pace Himself to Meet Own Expectations

By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter Yang Yong-eun, better known simply as Y.E. Yang, is the only Asian-born golfer in PGA Tour history to win a major, claiming the title at the PGA Championship last August. In addition, the South Korean also has another description, possibly more brilliant, that he has been the sole player to take down Tiger Woods, who had been unbeaten in 14 majors when entering the final round with a lead until then. But despite bagging the valuable title and building his reputation, the 38-year-old thinks that he is still a golfer who tries to play up to his own expectations. ``Well, it (winning the PGA Championship) was quite hectic at first, but it has since calmed down now and it seems that I am back to my normal routine,'' Yang said in an interview with the Asian Tour, which exclusively contributed to The Korea Times. ``There are certainly a lot more people out there who recognize me. I was at the NBA All-Star Game recently and some people actually came up to me during half time and asked for autographs and pictures, so that was weird but gratifyi

Apr 11, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Sports

Judgment Day

Yu-na's Gold Quest Starts Today By Kang Seung-woo Staff Reporter Kim Yu-na has compiled an illustrious career since entering the senior stage in 2006, winning all existent events at least once ― the World Grand Prix Final, Four Continents Championships and, recently, the World Championships. And now the 19-year-old South Korean will launch her bid to grab the final piece of the puzzle ― the Olympic title ― which will enable her to enter the pantheon of the greatest figure skaters of all time. Kim, who drew the No. 23 position Monday, is scheduled to perform at 1 p.m. Wednesday (KST), and the free skating will take place two days later. Along with Kim, the ice will include Canadian Joannie Rochette, the reigning world silver medalist; Japan's Miki Ando, the 2007 world champion; and U.S. champion Rachael Flatt. But as always, Mao Asada of Japan, the only woman skater who can land a triple axel with consistency, is seen as the biggest challenge to favored Kim, who is expected to give her nation the first Olympic gold medal in the sport, in a second-to-none competition. Kim and A

Feb 23, 2010By Kang Seung-woo

Kang Seung-woo

Read more

Bolt to Sprint in Daegu Meeting

Yang Wins in China

Park Placed on Disabled List

Prep Roster to Be Issued Earlier

KJ Looks to End Title Drought

Seol Still Has World Cup Hope

Korea Hires Chinese Diving Coach

Ethnic, Native Koreans Finish in Top-10

Yang Poised to Pace Himself to Meet Own Expectations

Judgment Day

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