Ham Kee-yong
South Korean long-distance runner (1930–2022)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ham Kee-yong (Korean: 함기용; 14 November 1930 – 9 November 2022)[1] was a South Korean marathoner, best known as the winner of the 1950 Boston Marathon.
14 November 1930
Ham Kee-yong | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ham Kee-yong 14 November 1930 |
| Died | 9 November 2022 (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Long distance runner |
| Known for | Winner of Boston Marathon in 1950 |
On 19 April 1950, he won the Boston Marathon with a record time of 2:32:39, under coach Sohn Kee-chung, the marathon winner at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The second and third-place finishers that year, Song Gil-yun (송길윤, 宋吉允; 숭문중학) and Choe Yun-chil (최윤칠, 崔崙七; 연희대학) were also South Koreans. A South Korean male would not win the Boston Marathon again until 2001.[2]
The Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950, so a planned victory celebration did not take place that year. On 18 April 2004, his feat was finally celebrated in his hometown, Chuncheon, with Ham in attendance.
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  South Korea | |||||
| 1950 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:32:39 |
See also
- Suh Yun-bok, the winner of the 1947 Boston marathon
- Lee Bong-ju, the winner of the 2001 Boston marathon
