Difference between revisions of "Sohn Kee-chung" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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One of Korea's domestic newspapers, the ''[[Dong-a Ilbo]]'', published a photograph of Sohn at the medal ceremony, but had altered the image to remove the Japanese flag from Sohn's uniform. This act so enraged the Japanese regime that it imprisoned eight persons connected with the newspaper and suspended the publication's operations for nine months.
 
One of Korea's domestic newspapers, the ''[[Dong-a Ilbo]]'', published a photograph of Sohn at the medal ceremony, but had altered the image to remove the Japanese flag from Sohn's uniform. This act so enraged the Japanese regime that it imprisoned eight persons connected with the newspaper and suspended the publication's operations for nine months.
 +
 +
In 1970 a South Korean Parliamentarian defaced the word Japan from
 +
the Berlin honor plaque and replaced it with “South Korea”; the original name was re-
 +
engraved after consultation with the IOC. Sohn was the Korean flag carrier in the 1948 Olympics in London and the
 +
final torch runner, entering the Olympic Stadium in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. The Dominican Republic (1956), Haiti
 +
(1969), South Korea (1992) and St. Vincent (1994) honored Sohn on stamps and by post-marks.
  
 
== Sohn's Ancient Greek Helmet ==
 
== Sohn's Ancient Greek Helmet ==
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[[Image:Sohn kee jung bronz helmet korea.jpg|thumb|250px|Ancient Greece bronze helmet, that was awarded to Son Ki-Jeong, National Museum of Korea]]
 
[[Image:Sohn kee jung bronz helmet korea.jpg|thumb|250px|Ancient Greece bronze helmet, that was awarded to Son Ki-Jeong, National Museum of Korea]]
  
Just prior to the IXth Olympiad in Berlin, the Greek newspaper ''Vradiny'' which
+
Just prior to the IXth Olympiad in Berlin, the Greek newspaper ''Vradiny'' which has always been (still is) closely associated with sports sent the Olympic Organizing Committee an ancient
has always been (still is) closely associated with sports sent the Olympic Organizing Committee an ancient
+
Greek helmet to be awarded to the marathon winner.  
Greek helmet, a precious antique, for it to be awarded to the marathon winner. It is of the early Corinth style — cheek and nose guards — 21.5 cm high, made in the 6th Century B.C.E. and discovered at Olympia by a German archaeologist, [[Ernst Curtius]] in 1875.
+
Although Sohn Kee-chung won the marathon, sensitive political ramifications of Sohn's win — the Japanese government hoped to hide his Korean descent but Sohn was an outspoken Korean nationlist — the Japanese marathon team was whisked away early before the helmet could be given to Sohn after the ceremony; it would have embarrassed the coaches.
 
 
Although Sohn Kee-chung won the marathon, IOC rules (official medals only) prevented the Committee from presenting it to him at the awards ceremony. Due to sensitive political ramifications of Sohn's win — the Japanese government hoped to hide his Korean descent but Sohn was an outspoken Korean nationlist — the Japanese marathon team was whisked away early before the helmet could be given to Sohn after the ceremony; it would have embarrassed the coaches.
 
  
After 50 years the helmet finally came into Sohn's hands when Willi Daume, IOC member and then-president of the (FRG) German Olympic Committee, presented it to him during a heartwarming reception in West Berlin on 10 August 1986. Sohn was 74. Daume told the whole story, published in PDF on the website of [http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1986/ore228/ore228z.pdf LA84 Foundation], a charitable foundation endowed with funds from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
+
The helmet stayed at the Antikmuseum in Berlin for 50 years until it finally came into Sohn's hands when Willi Daume, IOC member and then-president of the (FRG) German Olympic Committee, presented it to him during a heartwarming reception in West Berlin on 10 August 1986. Sohn was 74. Daume told the whole story, published in PDF on the website of [http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1986/ore228/ore228z.pdf LA84 Foundation], a charitable foundation endowed with funds from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
  
On 7 March 1987 the helmet became Korean National Treasure No. 904. Sohn donated it to the National Museum of Korea.
+
The helmet is of the early Corinth style — cheek and nose guards — 21.5 cm high, made in the 6th Century B.C.E. in the heyday of ancient Greek olympics. It was discovered at Olympia by a German archaeologist, [[Ernst Curtius]] in 1875. On 7 March 1987 it became Korean National Treasure No. 904; Sohn donated it to the National Museum of Korea.
  
 
Replicas of the helmet were awarded to the winners of 10 km, half marathon, and full marathon of the 2006 Sohn Ki-Jeong Marathon.
 
Replicas of the helmet were awarded to the winners of 10 km, half marathon, and full marathon of the 2006 Sohn Ki-Jeong Marathon.
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==External links==
 
==External links==
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[http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1986/ore228/ore228z.pdf]
  
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----
  
 
{{Footer Olympic Champions Marathon Men}}
 
{{Footer Olympic Champions Marathon Men}}

Revision as of 05:38, 18 December 2007

This is a Korean name; the family name is Sohn.
Olympic medalist
Center
Sohn Kee-chung
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Gold 1936 Berlin Marathon
Sohn Kee-chung
Hangul 손기정
Hanja 孫基禎
Revised Romanization Son Gi-jeong
McCune-Reischauer Son Kijŏng


Sohn Kee-Chung (August 29, 1912 – November 15, 2002) became the first medal-winning Korean Olympian when he won the gold medal in the Marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was a member of the Japanese delegation, under the name of Son Kitei, which is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese characters making up his name.

Life

Born in Sinŭiju, North P'yŏngan Province, Sohn Kee-Chung was educated at Yangjeong High School (양정고등학교) and Meiji University in Japan, from which he graduated in 1940.

Between 1933 and 1936 he ran 13 marathons and won 10 of them.

He set the World Record of 2:26:42 on November 3, 1935, which lasted about 10 years until his trainee Suh Yun-Bok won the 1947 Boston Marathon with a new world record.

His personal best was even better, 2:25:14 on a course 520 m longer than the standard one (fairly equivalent to 2:23:28 for 42.195 km).

He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics as a marathon runner who finished 42.195 kilometers in 2:29:19.2. He broke the olympic best and received the gold medal, with his Korean teammate Nam Sung-Yong finishing third to win the bronze.

Sohn spent the remainder of his career coaching other notable runners such as:

  • Suh Yun-Bok, the winner of the Boston Marathon in 1947, who broke his world record with a time of 2:25:39.
  • Ham Kee-Yong, winner of the Boston Marathon in 1950
  • Hwang Young-Cho, gold medalist in the 1992 Summer Olympics marathon — Sohn Kee-Chung traveled especially to Barcelona to see him run.

Afterwards he became the Chairman of the Korea Sporting Association.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in his home country of South Korea, he was given the honor of carrying the Olympic torch into the stadium at the opening ceremony.

He authored an autobiography entitled My Motherland and Marathon (Han-geul: 나의조국과 마라톤).

He was honored with the Order of Civil Merit (Han-geul: 국민훈장) and posthumously, Grand Cordon (Blue Dragon) of the Order of Sporting Merit.

Sohn Kee-Chung died at the age of 90 at midnight on November 15 2002 from pneumonia, and was buried at the Daejeon National Cemetery. He lived long enough to witness the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.

Afterwards, the Sohn Kee-Chung Memorial Park was established.

Marathon and media

File:Sohn Nam British.jpg
An emotional Sohn at the medal ceremony.

At the time of the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Korea was occupied by Japan as a de facto colony. Sohn Kee-Chung was forced to compete for the Japanese team using the adopted Japanese name of "Son Kitei", the Japanese pronunciation of the hanja making up his name. As a nationalist, Sohn Kee-Chung refused to sign his name in Japanese and signed only his Korean name, and would even sketch the shape of Korea beside his signatures. When interviewered he would clarify that Korea was his mother country.

At the medal ceremony, Sohn was overcome with sorrow and shed tears to see the flag of Japan raised and the Japanese national anthem played. Japan was officially credited with Sohn's gold and Nam's bronze in its 1936 Summer Olympics medal count.

One of Korea's domestic newspapers, the Dong-a Ilbo, published a photograph of Sohn at the medal ceremony, but had altered the image to remove the Japanese flag from Sohn's uniform. This act so enraged the Japanese regime that it imprisoned eight persons connected with the newspaper and suspended the publication's operations for nine months.

In 1970 a South Korean Parliamentarian defaced the word Japan from the Berlin honor plaque and replaced it with “South Korea”; the original name was re- engraved after consultation with the IOC. Sohn was the Korean flag carrier in the 1948 Olympics in London and the final torch runner, entering the Olympic Stadium in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. The Dominican Republic (1956), Haiti (1969), South Korea (1992) and St. Vincent (1994) honored Sohn on stamps and by post-marks.

Sohn's Ancient Greek Helmet

Ancient Greece bronze helmet, that was awarded to Son Ki-Jeong, National Museum of Korea

Just prior to the IXth Olympiad in Berlin, the Greek newspaper Vradiny which has always been (still is) closely associated with sports sent the Olympic Organizing Committee an ancient Greek helmet to be awarded to the marathon winner. Although Sohn Kee-chung won the marathon, sensitive political ramifications of Sohn's win — the Japanese government hoped to hide his Korean descent but Sohn was an outspoken Korean nationlist — the Japanese marathon team was whisked away early before the helmet could be given to Sohn after the ceremony; it would have embarrassed the coaches.

The helmet stayed at the Antikmuseum in Berlin for 50 years until it finally came into Sohn's hands when Willi Daume, IOC member and then-president of the (FRG) German Olympic Committee, presented it to him during a heartwarming reception in West Berlin on 10 August 1986. Sohn was 74. Daume told the whole story, published in PDF on the website of LA84 Foundation, a charitable foundation endowed with funds from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The helmet is of the early Corinth style — cheek and nose guards — 21.5 cm high, made in the 6th Century B.C.E. in the heyday of ancient Greek olympics. It was discovered at Olympia by a German archaeologist, Ernst Curtius in 1875. On 7 March 1987 it became Korean National Treasure No. 904; Sohn donated it to the National Museum of Korea.

Replicas of the helmet were awarded to the winners of 10 km, half marathon, and full marathon of the 2006 Sohn Ki-Jeong Marathon.

See also

  • List of people of Korean descent


External links

[1]



Records
Preceded by:
Flag of Japan Yasuo Ikenaka
Men's Marathon World Record Holder
November 3, 1935 – April 19, 1947
Succeeded by:
Flag of South Korea Suh Yun-Bok

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