Kim Min-suk (swimmer)

Kim Min-suk (also Kim Min-seok, Korean: 김민석; born February 3, 1979) is a retired South Korean swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and backstroke events.[1] He is a two-time Olympian (1996 and 2000), and a double medalist at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.[2]

Kim Min-suk
Personal information
Full nameKim Min-suk
National team South Korea
Born (1979-02-03) 3 February 1979
Seoul, South Korea
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, backstroke
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing South Korea
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Busan 4×100 m freestyle
In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim made his official debut, as a 17-year-old, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He failed to reach the top 16 final in the 100 m backstroke, finishing in thirty-ninth place with a time of 58.43.[3] He also placed fifteenth as a member of the South Korean team in the 4×200 m freestyle relay (7:45.98), and seventeenth in the 4×100 m medley relay (3:50.84).[4][5]

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Kim decided to experiment with the sprint freestyle, competing only in two swimming events. He posted FINA B-standards of 22.99 (50 m freestyle) and 51.14 (100 m freestyle) from the Dong-A Swimming Tournament in Ulsan.[6][7] In the 100 m freestyle, Kim placed twenty-fourth on the morning's prelims. Swimming in heat six, he picked up a second spot by 0.21 of a second behind winner Peter Mankoč of Slovenia in a lifetime best of 50.49.[8] Two days later, in the 50 m freestyle, Kim missed the semifinals by a small fraction of 0.02 seconds, finishing a tie with China's Jiang Chengji in a South Korean record of 22.82.[9]

When his nation hosted the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Kim won a total of two medals, one gold and one bronze. In the 50 m freestyle, Kim was delighted and overwhelmed by the home crowd, as he shared a gold medal with Uzbekistan's Ravil Nachaev in a matching time of 22.86, just 0.04 seconds outside his record from Sydney two years before.[10][11] He also captured a bronze, along with his teammates Sung Min, Han Kyu-Chul, and Ko Yun-Ho, in the 4×100 m freestyle relay (3:23.58).[12]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kim Min-suk". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  2. "'단거리 최강' 김민석, 수영대표팀 코치진 합류" ["Strongest swimmer" Kim Min-suk joins with a team of swimming coaches] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  3. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 2" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Heat 3" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  5. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 3" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 52. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  6. "Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 6)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  7. "Swimming – Men's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 6)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  8. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 100m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 114. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  9. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 105. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  10. "S.Korea Wins Their First Swimming Gold at Asian Games". People's Daily. 5 October 2002. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  11. "Wu and Qi Win Third Gold Apiece, as China Winds Up a Dominant Performance at Asian Games". Swimming World Magazine. 5 October 2002. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  12. "Asian Games: Japan, China Win Three Apiece on Day Four". Swimming World Magazine. 3 October 2002. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
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