Speed Skating’s 16-Year-Old Wonder

Sixteen-year-old Goh Byeong-wuk of Cheongwon Junior High School won a 5,000m speed skating match at the National Winter Sports Festival in Taereung Athletic Village yesterday. Goh set a competition record when he came in with a time of 7:14:04 in the 5,000m men’s junior speed skating event. The record he broke was his own that he achieved in a previous competition (7:16:32).

The time differential between Goh and runner-up Kim Ji-min (Seokkwan Junior High School, 7:25:57) was over 11 seconds.

Because of a hearing impairment handicap, Goh’s only weakness is not being able to hear the sound of the starter’s pistol without a hearing aid. Despite his lack of auditory sensitivity, he displays tremendous stamina.

Young Goh surprised the nation when he came in second to Olympic team speed skater Yeo Sang-yeop (Korea Sports University) in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events in last December’s Combined Ice Sports Championship.

Kim Byeong-gi (38), who has coached Goh since he was a sixth grader at Shingo Elementary School, said of his pupil, “Byeong-wuk is very competitive. He was not too happy about winning today’s event and not breaking his personal record of seven minutes and six seconds.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com