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 ...
in
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.](_blank)
''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.](_blank)
''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
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