Kim Won-kwon
South Korean athlete (born 1918)
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Kim Won-kwon (Korean: 김원권; born 13 December 1918, date of death unknown), also romanized as Kim Won-gwon, was a South Korean long jumper and triple jumper. Kim was the world's leading triple jumper during the early 1940s and competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Japan | ||
| International University Games | ||
 | 1939 Vienna | Triple jump |
Biography
Like other Korean athletes of the time, Kim represented Japan while it ruled Korea, winning gold in men's triple jump at the 1939 Vienna International University Games with a jump of 15.37 m.[1] He topped the triple jump world list in 1938 (15.63 m), 1940 (15.68 m), 1941 (15.82 m), 1942 (15.64 m) and 1943 (15.86 m);[2][3] the last of these marks was his personal best and remained the South Korean record for more than forty years.[4] In 1939 it was reported that Kim had jumped 16.25 m in training, which would have been a world record if duplicated in an official meeting.[5]
Kim was also a good long jumper, and would have been a leading favorite in both events at the 1940 Summer Olympics if they had not been cancelled due to World War II.[5] Kim represented South Korea at the 1948 Olympics, but by then he had lost his best shape; he placed 18th in the long jump and 12th in the triple jump.[6]
Kim is deceased.[7]
