Shin Il-yong breaks Korean record of walking race

"I bet my life on the walking marathon."

Shin Il-yong (22, Samsung Electronics) changed the Korean official record of 20 km male walking race, making himself of `the hope of Korean walking marathon.`

At the athlete competition held on the official course in the Ku-sung industrial complex of Kim-chon, May 3, Shin recorded 1 hr 22 min. 25 sec. at the male 20 km race, breaking the previous Korean record (1 hr 23 min. F) set by himself one and half years ago.

Shin also passed the standard record for the world competition which will be held at Edmonton in Canada, August this year.

His record is yet far away from the world record (1 hr. 17 min. 25 sec.) and the Asian record (1 hr. 20 min. 24 sec.) but his record ranks in top 20 this year, promising a medal in the world competition. His physical condition can’t be better (1 m 74 cm, 68 kg) for the walking race.

He began his walking when he was a middle school student, Grade 9, and had changed Korean records four times through 1997-99. However, June last year when his coach, Yoon Nam-hyun, emigrated to the U.S., then the senior student of Sunggwunkwan University was at a crucial moment. He had been pushed back to rank 30, recording 1 hr. 26 min. 22 sec. at the Sidney race.

Last year, `to conquer the world by walking,` he gave up his school and started, past Dec., and continued a hellish training for 5 months in Cheju, under the instruction of Kim Ji-soo, a coach of Samsung Electronics.

On his Korean record, Shin commented, "It is still far away to go. I bet my life on the walking marathon and will make better records at world races.`

Yang jong-ku yjongk@donga.com