Rio 2016: N. Korea's twin marathoners run, finish together

North Korean twin sisters Kim Hye-song and Kim Hye-gyong run together in the women’s marathon at Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro, Monday. / AFP-Yonhap

By Park Jae-hyuk

Is doing things simultaneously their destiny?

North Korea’s twin marathoners, Kim Hye-song and Kim Hye-gyong, ran and finished together in the women’s marathon Monday. They crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 36 seconds ― the elder sister Hye-song ranked 10th and Hye-gyong 11th.

The two went through the 42.195-kilometer journey at almost the same pace, so much so that those who observed their race described it as the “soldiers’ double march.”

A set of twins from Germany also raced, finishing 81st and 82nd. The Estonian triplets, the Luik sisters, were among the runners. One finished 97th and another 114th, while the third dropped out.

Meanwhile, South Korean marathoners An Seul-ki and Lim Kyung-hee finished 42nd and 70th, respectively.