Kim Min-suk (swimmer)

Kim Min-suk

Personal information
Full name	Kim Min-suk
National team	South Korea
Born	3 February 1979 Seoul, South Korea
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, backstroke
Medal record Men's swimming Representing South Korea Asian Games 2002 Busan 50 m freestyle 2002 Busan 4×100 m freestyle

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 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. "Kim Min-suk". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 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. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
4. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Heat 3" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 51. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
5. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 3" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 52. 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. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
9. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 105. 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. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
12. "Asian Games: Japan, China Win Three Apiece on Day Four". Swimming World Magazine. 3 October 2002. Retrieved 5 May 2013.