Pak Song-chol (born 10 November 1984) is a North Korean long-distance runner who specializes in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. His personal best time is 2:12:41 hours in 2007, winning the

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 ...

. He has represented North Korea at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

on two occasions (2008 and 2012) and the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...

. He won a silver medal at the

2009 East Asian Games ) , Host city = Hong Kong , Teams participating = 9 , Athletes participating = 2,377 , Events = 262 events in 22 sports , Opening ceremony = December 5, 2009 , Closing ceremony = December 13, 2009 , Officially opened by = State Councilor L ...

, running in the half marathon.

Career

Born in South Hwanghae Province,Pak Song-Chol
. London2012. Retrieved on 2013-04-18. Pak's first

race came at the

in 2005. After racing at the Xiamen and

Macau Marathon The Macau International Marathon (; pt, Maratona Internacional de Macau) is an annual road running event held in the Special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of Macau adjacent to mainland China, since 1981. The mar ...

races in 2006, he dipped under two hours and twenty minutes for the first time in 2007: he won the Pyongyang race in a personal best of 2:12:41 hours and also ran at the Beijing Marathon, timing 2:15:17 hours for eleventh place. He defended his Pyongyang title in 2008 and was selected to compete in the 2008 Olympic marathon, where he placed 40th overall. Pak managed only sixth at the 2009 Pyongyang Marathon but he was entered into the men's marathon at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

and came 43rd with a time of 2:21:12. He won his first international medal at the East Asian Games that year, taking the half marathon silver. He had a strong run at the 2010 Pyongyang race, running 2:14:09 – his fastest time since 2007. However, he had to settle for second place behind surprise winner Ivan Babaryka. He ran at the

and was eighth in the marathon. In his sole outing of 2011, he represented North Korea at the 2011 World Military Games, finishing fifth. The 2012 Pyongyang Marathon was held as part of celebrations for the 100 years since

Kim Il Sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

's birth and featured one of the race's closest ever finishes: Pak recorded the same time as Oleksandr Matviychuk (2:12:54 hours), but it was the Ukrainian who topped the podium. He was chosen to race at the Olympics for a second time and ended the 2012 Olympic men's marathon in 52nd place. He had his third fastest time of his career in Pyongyang in 2013, but managed only fourth place behind foreign opposition.Jalava, Mirko (2013-04-15)
Home victory for Kim Mi Gyong in Pyongyang, Nigusse takes men's title
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-18.

Achievements

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pak, Song-chol 1984 births Living people North Korean male marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for North Korea Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Asian Games People from South Hwanghae Asian Games competitors for North Korea