Choi Yun-chil (19 July 1928 – 8 October 2020) was a South Korean long-distance runner who was a two-time Olympian and a two-time national champion in the marathon.

Career

Choi led the marathon at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

before dropping out with less than 5 kilometers left in the race. He finished third in the 1950 Boston Marathon,Sport: Koreans in a Hurry.
''Time'', May 1, 1950. but the

Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...

denied his entry into the following year's event.Sport: Banned in Boston.
''Time'', February 12, 1951. During the height of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, BAA President

Walter A. Brown Walter Augustine Brown (February 10, 1905 – September 7, 1964) was the founder and original owner of the Boston Celtics, as well as an important figure in the development of ice hockey in the United States. Life He was born in Hopkinton, Ma ...

stated: "While American soldiers are fighting and dying in Korea, every Korean should be fighting to protect his country instead of training for marathons. As long as the war continues there, we positively will not accept Korean entries for our race on April 19." In 1952, Choi finished fourth in the Olympic marathon at Helsinki.

References

1928 births 2020 deaths South Korean male long-distance runners South Korean male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for South Korea Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea Asian Games silver medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 1954 Asian Games 20th-century South Korean people 21st-century South Korean people {{SouthKorea-athletics-bio-stub