Kim Hye-gyong
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Kim Hye-gyong (; or ; born 9 March 1993) is a
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n
long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...
. Marathoner Kim Hye-song is her sister. They are fraternal twins. Hye-gyong is the younger. Their mutual coach, Jong Myong-chol, describes their healthy rivalry in races and friendship as the key to their success. According to Jong, Hye-gyong has a livelier personality of the twins and trains harder. Together they train five times a week, running a day. The sisters Kim, along with
Kim Mi-gyong Kim Mi-gyong ( ko, 김미경; born 17 October 1991) is a North Korean long-distance runner. She competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, placing 74th with a time of 2:38:33. At the age of fifteen she represented her country at the ...
(no relation) are considered the most prominent of North Korean female marathoners today. Kim Hye-gyong represents the Pyongyang Sports Team. She has a brother, a marathoner representing the
April 25 Sports Team April 25 Sports Club (, ''Sa i o ch'eyuktan''), or 4.25 SC for short, or sometimes April 25 National Defence Sports Club (4.25'국방체육단', ''Sa i o ch'eyuktan "Kukpang ch'eyuktan"''), is a Sports club, multi-sports club based in Pyongyang ...
.


Career

Kim is from
Sariwon Sariwŏn () is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Population The city's population as of 2008 is 307,764. Administrative divisions Sariwŏn is divided into 31 ''tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 9 '' ri'' (villages): Healthcare ...
,
North Hwanghae Province North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Sari ...
. Already physically active in kindergarten, she and her sister started running in middle-school at the age of 14. They were proven good runners and Kim won many competitions. Kim's ability to maintain high speed and good composure in particular made her stand out. The sisters' father was a marathon coach at that time. Kim trained at
Kumchon County Kŭmch'ŏn County is a county in the North Hwanghae province of North Korea. It has a population of 68,216. Geography Kŭmch'ŏn is bordered to the west by Kaesŏng, to the south by Kaep'ung, to the northwest by T'osan, and to the north by Mt. ...
Juvenile Sports School. The sisters then moved to the capital
Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
. Kim subsequently won events such as 5,000 m, 10,000 m and 30 km in domestic tournaments like the 2009 Jonsung Cup and the 2011 national championships. After having won the half marathon at the 2010
Pyongyang Marathon Pyongyang Marathon, also known as Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, is an annual marathon race contested each April in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It is categorised as an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race. The marathon was held for t ...
, she was selected to represent North Korea as a part of the national team. She went on to win the 2011 half marathon and coming second at the 2012 full marathon in Pyongyang, too. These results earned North Korea a berth to the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. However, Kim was not among those who raced there. Kim's standing of 8th at the
2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...
brought her fame in her just second ever race abroad. Kim then took a surprise victory over many East African favorites at the 2015
Hong Kong Marathon The Hong Kong Marathon (香港馬拉松), sponsored by Standard Chartered, Standard Chartered Bank, is an annual marathon race held in January or February in Hong Kong. In addition to the full marathon, a 10 km run and a half marathon ar ...
serving as that year's
Asian Marathon Championship The Asian Marathon Championships is a biennial international competition in marathon road running for Asian athletes. Organised by the Asian Athletics Association, its creation in 1988 followed decision to drop the 42.195-kilometre (26-mile and 385- ...
, taking home a $65,000 prize. Sports journalist Pat Butcher considered the victory an important step toward the
2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...
, saying: "This is a huge win for North Korea. The last time a woman from North Korea won the world championships was in 1999 in Seville. Maybe this could be Kim's year". Kim started in the women's marathon at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, but did not finish the race.


Achievements


Notes and references


References


Further reading

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Hye-gyong 1993 births Living people People from Sariwon North Korean female long-distance runners North Korean female marathon runners Olympic athletes of North Korea Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Asian Games competitors for North Korea Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Asian Games World Athletics Championships athletes for North Korea Competitors at the 2011 Summer Universiade 20th-century North Korean women 21st-century North Korean women