Former Boston Marathon winner Suh Yun-bok dies at 94

Suh Yun-bok

By Baek Byung-yeul

Suh Yun-bok, the winner of the 1947 Boston Marathon, died Tuesday at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife, Yong Young-ja, and three children.

The Korea Association of Athletics Federation (KAAF) announced Suh died at around 4:40 a.m.

Suh was the first Asian winner of the Boston Marathon with the then world’s best time of 2:25.39. The record was also the event’s first world record.

After competing at the 1948 London Olympics, Suh retired from competition the following year and spent the rest of his life as a sports administrator, serving as the KAAF’s director, managing director and then vice president. He also served as vice chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC).

Recognizing his contribution to the Korean sports community, the KOC named him a National Sports Hero in 2013.

Suh’s funeral service will take place at 9 a.m. on Thursday at the Catholic Anseong Memorial Park in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.