[Track and Field] Woman Discus Thrower Sets Record

“You should not disclose my weight.”

So said Lee Yeon-gyeong, nicknamed “female Hercules,” who broke the women’s discus record in Korea yesterday, a mark which had stood for 24 years.

When asked if she weighed 88 kilograms as written in the official record, she said, “I weighed 88 kilograms in college, but please refer to the record.”

She said she has gained weight but declined to disclose the figure.

At the National Athletic Competition at Daegu Stadium, Lee had a throw of 53.22 meters in the final of the women’s discus, breaking the previous mark of 51.64 meters set by Kim Seon-hwa in 1984.

Kim’s record had stood for 24 years, second only in duration to the mark for the men’s 100 meters, which has remained for 29 years.

Though Lee set the record thanks in part to her weight, she wanted to keep it secret. In women’s throwing competitions, the record goes along with weight.

With a large build, Lee, 27, was advised to compete in the discus by a dance teacher while in junior high school. She first gained recognition with a throw of 50.55 meters last year.

At the Korea Professional Athletes’ Competition in April, she had a throw of 51.16 meters, only 48 centimeters off the Korean record, and 50.54 meters in May.

After setting the record yesterday, she went to the ground and cried for a long time. “I have an unofficial record of 55 meters. But I did not perform well in the official competition due to psychological burden. That brought me down.”

After training for three months in Australia as a member of the 2011 “dream team” early this year, Lee greatly improved her body rotation, landing and finish movement. She will get financial support of 15 million won for setting a Korean record.

Lee will compete in the Hong Kong International Competition on July 4 to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. She must reach the Olympic B benchmark record of 59 meters.

In women’s hammer throwing, Kang Na-ru set a national record of 61.50 meters, breaking her own mark of 60.58 meters set in February.

In the men’s 100 meters, Jeon Deok-hyeong and Lim Hee-nam failed to set a record. Jeon finished the semi-finals with a time of 10.55 seconds and won the finals with a time of 10.65 seconds, winning by 0.01 seconds.

yjongk@donga.com