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| Born | October 11, 1970 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Lee Bong-Ju | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 이봉주 |
| Hanja | 李鳳柱 |
| Revised Romanization | I Bong-Ju |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Pŏng-Chu |
Lee Bong-Ju (Hangul: 이봉주; Hanja: 李鳳柱; born October 11, 1970 in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea) is a South Korean marathoner.
He won the silver medal in the marathon at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, United States. Lee’s second place in the Atlanta Olympics, just 3 seconds behind Josia Thugwane from South Africa, was the closest finish ever in an Olympic marathon.
Lee established himself as a major international marathoner in 1993, capturing the Korean Championships in 2:10:27 then going on to win the Honolulu Marathon later that year.
After earning a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics marathon, he ended the year with a first-place win in the prestigious Fukuoka Marathon – a combination good enough to earn the World Number One ranking ahead of the Olympic champion.
In 1998, Lee reduced the Korean national record to 2:07:44 while finishing second at the Rotterdam Marathon. Later that year, he also won the gold medal in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games marathon race.
In 2000, Lee further reduced both the national record and is own personal record to 2:07:20 when coming in second at the Tokyo Marathon, and he consolidated his international stature with a second place finish at the Fukuoka Marathon.
In 2001, Lee again took world notice when he won the preeminent Boston Marathon.
In 2002, he won the 2002 Busan Asian Games marathon, thereby defending his championship title for that important race.
He is regarded as a national hero in South Korea, and his wedding was held in the Seoul Olympic Stadium in 2002.
Lee's silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics was the first Olympic marathon medal of South Korean athletes after his contemporary marathoner Hwang Young-Cho's gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and Hwang Young-Cho's retirement Lee became the leading South Korean marathoner, and Lee is the leading South Korean marathoner still now in 2007.
Lee is South Korea's record holder at both the half marathon and marathon distance.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing South Korea | |||||
| 1990 | 제71회 전국체육 marathon | 2nd | Marathon | 2:19:15 | |
| 1991 | Donga international marathon | 15th | Marathon | 2:16:56 | |
| 전국체육대회 marathon | 1st | Marathon | 2:14:30 | ||
| 1992 | Tokyo international half marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | Half marathon | 1:01:04 |
| 73회 전국체육 marathon | 9th | Marathon | 2:20:12 | ||
| Honolulu international marathon | Honolulu, Hawaii | 7th | Marathon | 2:19:18 | |
| 1993 | 제64회 Donga marathon | 12th | Marathon | 2:20:13 | |
| Seoul half marathon | Seoul, South Korea | 1st | Half marathon | 1:05:48 | |
| 제74회 전국체육대회 | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:27 | ||
| Honolulu international marathon | Honolulu, HI | 1st | Marathon | 2:13:16 | |
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