Sprinter Kim Kook-young (32-Gwangju Metropolitan Government), who represents Korean athletics, smiled brightly as he shared the news of his marriage.
Kim Kook-young tied the knot with long jumper Kim Kyuna (33, Yecheon County Office) on Nov. 11 in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
In a phone call with Yonhap News Agency on Nov. 12, Kim said, “I am very sorry that I could not take care of my bride-to-be well due to domestic and international training camps,” adding, “Thanks to the help of my bride-to-be, who is an athlete, I was able to win a valuable Asian Games medal.
I will always be grateful to her.”
Kim joined forces with Lee Jung-tae (27, Anyang City Hall), Lee Jae-sung (22, Korea Gymnastics University) and Ko Seung-hwan (26, Gwangju Metropolitan Government) to win the bronze medal in the men’s 400-meter relay final in a Korean record time of 38.74 seconds at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Main Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on Wednesday.
It was only the second time in 37 years that Korean athletics had won a medal in the men’s 400-meter relay, with Sung Nak-gyun, Jang Jae-geun, Kim Jong-il and Shim Deok-seop finishing third at the 1986 Seoul Games. 안전토토사이트
A teary-eyed Kim said afterward, “It was my last Asian Games, so I was even more emotional.
I finally won my first Asian Games medal,” he said, adding, “I’ve set Korean records and won many domestic competitions, but this is the first time I’ve flown the flag at a competition of this magnitude.”
Because he won the medal with his juniors, he was unable to publicly reveal his feelings for his bride-to-be at the time.
“My wife helped me a lot,” Kim said a little later, “and I’m really happy to give her the Asian Games bronze medal as a wedding gift.”
Kim is South Korea’s top sprinter with a national record of 10.07 seconds in the men’s 100 meters.
Kim Kyuna is also one of the country’s top jumpers, finishing sixth in the women’s long jump at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games with a leap of 6.27 meters.
Kim Kook-young and Kim Kyuna will compete in their “last match before marriage” at the national championships, which open on Nov. 13.
“Both I and Kyuna are working hard to prepare for the National Games,” Kim said.