 Korean long jumper Kim Deok-hyeon competes in the men’s long jump at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, Thursday. Kim has advanced to the 12-man final, scheduled for Friday, to become the first Korean to reach the stage at the biennial championships. / Yonhap |
By Yoon Chul
DAEGU — Korea will finally see one of its athletes in a final. Guangzhou Asian Games gold medalist Kim Deok-hyeon is one of 12 who will compete for the medals in the men’s long jump at the 13th IAAF World Championships, Friday.
Among 36 entrants Kim jumped a season best of 8.02 meters, finishing 11th in qualifying.
Kim, who holds two Korean records in the long and triple jump with 8.20 and 17.10 meters respectively, leapt 7.86 meters on his first attempt. He improved to 7.99 on his next try before ending the preliminary at 8.02.
At the 2009 world championships, Kim’s best jump was also 8.02 but that time it was two centimeters short of making the final.
“I anticipated that the participants’ distances would be shorter than their records,” Kim said.
“I expected that I would need about 8.05 meters (to qualify).”
Kim is also competing in the triple jump and already stated that is the event he wants to focus on. He will complete in the triple jump heat Friday morning and the long jump final later in the day.
“As qualification of the triple jump is scheduled in the morning I think I may feel sluggish,” Kim said. “Perhaps my jump in the final will be shorter than my qualifying one but I will do my best in the final round.”
He is scheduled to compete in the triple jump at 10:30 a.m. and in the long jump at 7:20 p.m.
Meanwhile the Korean men’s 4x400-meter relay team set a new national record of three minutes 4.05 seconds.
The foursome of Park Bong-jo, Lim Chang-ho, Lee Jun and Seong Hyeok-je crossed the finish line to set the new mark in the first preliminary round. It was the first Korean record for the event in 13 years in the event, as the last one (3:04.44) was set in Fukuoka in 1998.
“I can’t believe it,” said Park “Our first goal was breaking the national record.”
Though Korea set a new record, the team came in last in Heat 1 and was eliminated. But their performance, along with Kim’s, are a small but significant achievement for the national team that has been dismal at the worlds on their home soil.
“We are still incomplete as athletes but we have potential. We are very young,” added Park.
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