A Second Korean Swim Phenom Emerges

As the 78th Dong-A Swimming Competition continues to introduce emerging athletic talents, yesterday’s women’s junior division 200m breaststroke race left yet another group of spectators in awe. 13-year-old Lee Yu-jin (Lila Elementary School) touched the clocking board twenty seconds faster than the runner-up Min Gyeong-yeong (Daegok Elementary School) in her 2:35:56 finish that renewed the 2:41:77 competition record set by Gu Hyeon-jeong last year.

Jeong Il-cheong, Korea Swimming Federation’s managing director, said “Blood will tell,” making a note of Lee’s heredity. Lee’s mother Kim Seong-hye (39) won a silver medal in women’s 61kg class Judo in the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. Her dad, Lee Jeong-seok (39), was at the same Asian Games competing in the breaststroke swim event and water polo.

Lee’s splendid rate of athletic growth could be attributed to her genes as she neared the Korean breaststroke record of 2:28:21 just two years after starting her swimming career. Lee originally was a short track speed skater. Swimming was something she took up as physical therapy to recover from an ankle injury. But Lee soon took to swimming full time.

“I liked the water better than the ice. After deciding that I was to be a swimmer, I immediately set my sights on the Olympics. I feel bad that I did not break the Korean record in this competition,” said Lee. Lee added that she started learning Chinese two years ago so she could give interviews in Chinese at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Her endless pool of stamina impresses even her own proud mother. “I almost feel bad that 200m is the longest distance in backstroke category,” said Kim.

At the 200m final of women’s high school division, Jeong Seul-gi (Seoul Sports High School) won with a 2:30:54 finish, setting the competition record. Lee Geo-ra from Daeseong Girls’ High School won the women’s high school division’s 100m freestyle race with a 57:02 finish.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com