Im Dae-won ( ko, 임 대원; born August 16, 1976, in

Imsil Imsil County (''Imsil-gun'') is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Imsil County is a county in central South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is an area upstream of the Seomjingang River in the Noryeong Mountains, and there is a basin ...

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...

) is a retired amateur South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's featherweight category. He produced a remarkable tally of three career medals, including a silver in the 55-kg division at the

2003 World Wrestling Championships The following is the final results of the 2003 World Wrestling Championships. The Freestyle Competition was held in New York City, United States, while the Greco-Roman Competition was held in Créteil, France. Medal table Team ranking Medal su ...

Créteil Créteil () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Cré ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and also finished seventh at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, representing his nation

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Having worked as a full-time employee for

Samsung Sports Samsung Sports is Samsung's multi-sport club and sports marketing department in South Korea. Own sports teams Professional Amateur Sponsorship Organization * International Olympic Committ ...

, Im trained throughout his sporting career as a member of its wrestling team under head coach Ahn Han-bong. Im highlighted his sporting career at the

, where he picked up a silver medal in the 55-kg division, losing 5–6 to three-time Olympic veteran Dariusz Jabłoński of Poland. Because of his unprecedented success, Im emerged as one of the top favorites to win a medal for the Olympic Games, and went on to grab another silver at the

Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asian ...

Almaty, Kazakhstan Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of t ...

by the following year. At the

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Im qualified for the South Korean squad, as a 28-year-old, in the men's 55 kg class. Earlier in the process, he placed second behind Jablonski at the World Championships and guaranteed a spot on South Korea's Olympic wrestling team by obtaining a silver medal from the Asian Championships. He dominated the prelim pool by pulling into a 4–4 tie over Kazakhstan's

Nurbakyt Tengizbayev Nurbakyt Tengizbayev (born 10 April 1983 in Usharal, Kazakhstan) is a Kazakh wrestler who won the Bronze medal in the Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Pe ...

, and dismantling another Olympic veteran Marian Sandu of Romania with a 3–6 verdict to secure him a spot for the next round. As he faced off against eventual Olympic silver medalist Geidar Mamedaliyev of Russia, Im could not hold him tightly to score enough points and lost the match 3–0, placing seventh in the final standings.

References

External links

Profile – International Wrestling Database
1976 births Living people South Korean male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for South Korea Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics People from Imsil County World Wrestling Championships medalists Asian Wrestling Championships medalists Sportspeople from North Jeolla Province 21st-century South Korean people {{SouthKorea-wrestling-bio-stub