Korean-Norwegian biathlon continues medal streak

Cross-country skier Kim Magnus, a member of South Korea's national cross-country skiing team, is being transformed from a starlet to a powerhouse.

Kim, who was born in Busan in 1998 to a Norwegian father and a Korean mother and is known as Magnus Bøe in Norway, clinched the silver medal in the men's 1.3 kilometer sprint free event on Tuesday at the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Romania. He became the first Korean player to win the medal at the championship.

Kim, the only Korean player who participated in the event, ranked 19th in the qualifying race, finishing it in 2 minutes, 42.80 seconds. However, he finished second in all of the quarterfinal, semifinal and final. He finished the final with a time of 2:31.42, just 0.67 seconds behind the champion, Klaebo Johannes Hoesflot of Norway.

"I had accumulated fatigue after a long flight but tried to maintain my conditions at the Youth Olympics," Kim said, adding that he wanted to outrace other athletes who were much better performers than those at the Youth Olympics. Having won medals in three consecutive international events since the Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, he will take a shot at another medal in men's 50 kilometer classical cross-country skiing competition.

임보미기자 bom@donga.com