Olympic wrestler is undefeated

People who meet Kim In-Sub, 27, of Samsung Life Insurance and a Wrestling National Representative, for the first time somehow keep staring at him.

It is unbelievable that he, with not only a face with narrow lines, but also a small height of 168 centimeters and a slim body, is a wrestler. However, he is a king above the mat who has won two consecutive world wrestling championships in the Greco-Roman style, 58-kilogram category.

13 kilograms short

While he was in elementary school, he had stubbornly insisted on playing Judo. His parents strongly stepped him, saying, "Your body is weak..." But he had an extraordinary ability in sports.

While he was in fifth grade at Taegu Elementary School, he brought to his team a victory in the semifinals during an inter-city, inter-province group tournament. The problem was inadequate body weight. When he was in senior high school, he had to give up on his dream because he was 13 kg below the minimum 55 kg, which is the lowest body weight category in Judo. So, he chose wrestling.

41 plus 5

Kim, who had been a substitute player every year, belatedly shined after he had been discharged from military service in 1998. Ever since, he never has lost a single time for three years and has achieved 41 consecutive victories. In such major championships as the 1998 and 1999 world championships meet, the 1998 Asian Games, and 1999 Asian Championship, there weren`t any contenders anymore.

A fierce animal

The driving force behind his rapid rise is his sincerity.

"Kim In-Sub is a fierce animal, so much so that in the evening even after getting circuit training, which is called a `hell training,¡¯ he goes around pulling tires alone," Yoo Young-Tae, coach of the national representative team said.

Bae Keuk-In bae2150@donga.com