 Triple jumper Kim Deok-hyeon of South Korea competes in this file photo taken on May 12 at the Pre-Championships in Daegu. / Korea Times file |
By Yoon Chul
Korea is a rising sports powerhouse. As host of the 2002 World Cup Games it reached the semifinals and has made the top 10 in the medal standings in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games on several occasions.
When it comes to athletics, the host nation of the 13th IAAF World Championships is one of the weakest countries but Korean long- and triple jumper Kim Deok-hyeon is close to being world class.
For the world championships on his home soil, the 25-year-old will focus on the triple jump rather than the long jump.
Kim뭩 personal best is 17.10 meters and he aims to break the current Asian record of 17.59, held by Li Yanxi of China.
He has improved in the past few years, finishing ninth at the Osaka world championships in 2007, jumping 16.78 meters. However in Berlin two years later he did not make the cut.
In 2009 the qualification mark was 17.15, but only five athletes achieved it. Because 12 athletes must compete in the final round, those with the next seven best records advanced to the last stage. The shortest jump among the 12 finalists stood at 16.96 meters while Kim leapt 16.58.
Kim has developed through systematic training, and recorded a jump of 16.99 meters at the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting 2011 in May at Daegu Stadium, the same venue for the upcoming worlds.
In more ways than one, Kim may be the top beneficiary of Daegu뭩 biggest athletics festival among Koreans. He has often struggled to compete abroad due to his distaste for foreign food. But this time, he need not worry.
He is also a strong contender to make the long jump final.
In Berlin the qualification standard was 8.15 meters but only four out of 42 jumpers reached that mark. Kim fell just short of advancing to the final with a mark of 7.99 meters.
In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, Kim won the gold medal by leaping 8.11 meters.
If he breaks the Asian record in the triple jump, he may become the first Korean to stand on the podium at the worlds.
In Berlin, Nelson Evora of Portugal took the silver with a jump of 17.55.
The fifth longest jump of the 2011 season stands at 17.59 meters, but Kim, who is expected to receive tremendous support at the Daegu Stadium, may just find a few extra centimeters.
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