Park Tae-hwan

Park Tae-hwan

Taehwan Park at the Incheon Asian games
Personal information
Full name	Park Tae-hwan
Nickname(s)	"Marine Boy"[1]
National team	South Korea
Born	(1989-09-27) September 27, 1989 Seoul, South Korea
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Weight	163 lb (74 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Incheon City Government
College team	Dankook University
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for South Korea International aquatics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 3 0 World Championships (LC) 2 0 1 World Championships (SC) 0 2 0 Pan Pacific Championships 4 2 0 Asian Games 6 3 5 Total 13 10 6 Olympic Games 2008 Beijing 400 m freestyle 2008 Beijing 200 m freestyle 2012 London 200 m freestyle 2012 London 400 m freestyle World Championships (LC) 2007 Melbourne 400 m freestyle 2011 Shanghai 400 m freestyle 2007 Melbourne 200 m freestyle World Championships (SC) 2006 Shanghai 400 m freestyle 2006 Shanghai 1500 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships 2006 Victoria 400 m freestyle 2006 Victoria 1500 m freestyle 2010 Irvine 400 m freestyle 2014 Gold Coast 400 m freestyle 2006 Victoria 200 m freestyle 2010 Irvine 200 m freestyle Asian Games 2006 Doha 200 m freestyle 2006 Doha 400 m freestyle 2006 Doha 1500 m freestyle 2010 Guangzhou 100 m freestyle 2010 Guangzhou 200 m freestyle 2010 Guangzhou 400 m freestyle 2006 Doha 100 m freestyle 2010 Guangzhou 1500 m freestyle 2010 Guangzhou 4×100 m medley 2006 Doha 4×100 m freestyle 2006 Doha 4×200 m freestyle 2006 Doha 4×100 m medley 2010 Guangzhou 4×100 m freestyle 2010 Guangzhou 4×200 m freestyle

Park Tae-hwan (born September 27, 1989) is a South Korean competitive swimmer who is an Olympic gold medalist and world champion. He has four Olympic medals, two world titles, and 20 Asian Games medals. He won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle and a silver in the 200-meter freestyle events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He also won two silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle. He is the first Asian swimmer to claim a gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle, and the first Korean to win an Olympic medal in swimming. He is known for his impressive range and versatility, as he is able to compete at international level in 100-, 200-, 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle.^[3] He is the first swimmer to swim under 49 seconds in 100-meter freestyle and under 15 minutes in 1,500-meter freestyle. He remained as the only person to have such impressive range until Sun Yang joined the club in 2013.^[4] He was hit by a steroid scandal as prosecutors confirmed on January 27, 2015 that he tested positive in a doping test because he took Nebido, a relatively new anabolic steroid.^[5]

Personal life

Born in Seoul in 1989, Park graduated from Dankook University in February 2012,^[6] where he majored in physical education.

His father is a saxophone player and his mother is a dancer. He currently serves as a goodwill ambassador for 'Dynamic Korea', South Korea's international image-making campaign, alongside international figure skater Kim Yuna.^[7] Park Tae-hwan is one of Asia's top men's freestyle swimmers. He was voted Most Valuable Player at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar where he won seven medals including three gold. The 22-year-old trains in Melbourne and is also a Pan Pacific Champion. He was voted Swimming World's Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year in 2006.

Park, as an Olympic and Asian Games medalist, has been granted an exemption from two years of mandatory military service, however is still required to undergo four weeks of basic training, which he reported for on October 4, 2012.^[8]

Difficulties

Park faced many financial difficulties as an athlete. SK Telecom had sponsored Park from 2007 to 2012 but when his contract expired in 2012, SK Telecom decided to discontinue their sponsorship. Park was left to support his own athletic career for half a year. In the same year, Korea Swimming Federation (KSF) refused to give Park his 50 million won (approximately $44,950 USD) for winning two silver medals in the London Olympics. He will later receive this award money in 2014. In 2013, it was revealed that Park did not have a swimming pool to train in. Within Seoul, there were only 7 swimming pools with a 50-meter lane, the international standard. These pools were either all booked or did not fulfill basic conditions like the water temperature which made it impossible to train in. In March 2013, Park signed with the Incheon Metropolitan City’s swimming team. Park has since been receiving an annual salary from the city.

Career

Early career

Park began swimming at the age of 5 when his doctor suggested it would be good for his asthma. He began his competitive swimming career at the age of 7, earning several medals in junior competitions.^[9] This early success led to Park's selection to the Korean Swimming Federation as a national team member in 2003. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, which was his first ever international competition, however, Park was disqualified for a false start in the preliminary heat of the men's 400-meter freestyle.^[10] Park later confessed that he was so disappointed with himself about the mistake, but it motivated him to work hard on starts, and he now has one of the fastest reaction times among top elite swimmers, consistently posting under 0.70 of a second. Shortly thereafter at the 2004 FINA Swimming World Cup, Park was the runner-up in the men's 400-meter freestyle event.

2006 World Championships

The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) swam April 5–9, 2006 at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China.

2006 Asian Games

The Swimming competition at the 2006 Asian Games took place December 2–9 at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha, Qatar. It featured 38 events (19 male, 19 female), all conducted in a long course (50m) pool. Park continued his competitive success in subsequent years, most notably at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, where he won three golds, one silver and three bronze medals, the most medals won by a single athlete at the Games. He also set two Asian Records. For his success, Park was named an Athlete of the Games.^[11]

2006 Pan Pacific Championships

The tenth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in 2006 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from August 17–20. At this event, Park won two gold medals (in the 1500 meter freestyle and the 400 meter freestyle) and one silver medal (200 m freestyle).

Park was named the 2006 Pacific Rim Male Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine, beating out Olympic medalist (and 2005 awardee) Australian Grant Hackett for the honor.

2007 World Championships

The Swimming competition at the 12th FINA World Aquatics Championships was held in Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, from 25 March to 1 April 2007. This portion of the 2007 Worlds featured 40 events (20 for males, 20 for females), all swum in a long course (50 m) pool.

2007 FINA Swimming World Cup

Park won triple gold at the FINA Swimming World Cup 2007 in Berlin. This was his third consecutive triple crown after bringing three golds home in the third leg of the Cup in Sydney and another three in the fifth in Stockholm. Park's record in the 200-meter freestyle is threatening the world record of 1:41.10 set by Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe in February 2000. ^[12]

2008 Summer Olympics

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Park won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle event and a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle event. His winning time of 3:41.86 made him the second fastest man ever in this distance in history, only behind then-world record holder Ian Thorpe whose time was 3:40.08. In swimming 1:44.85 in the 200-meter freestyle final, Park joined Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, and Pieter van den Hoogenband as the only men to have ever swum under 1:45 in the event.

2009 World Championships

At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships held in Rome, Italy, Park surprised many after failing to qualify to swim in the finals of the 200- and 400-meter freestyle.^[13] Some blame Park's poor performance on his decision to wear Speedo's LZR Racer in the championships.^[14][15]

2010 Pan Pacific Championships

The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22.

2010 Asian Games

2011 World Championships

The swimming portion of the 2011 FINA World Championships was held July 24–31 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China.

2012 Summer Olympics

Park Tae-hwan swimming in the 400-metre final at the 2012 Summer Olympics

During the 400-meter qualifying heat race, Park was initially disqualified for a false start, which was wrongfully called. Shortly after the South Korean Federation met with the FINA bureau the ruling was successfully overturned and Park was reinstated into the race. FINA was unable to explain why the judge on the pool deck called it a false start, and a FINA official called the wrong call as a "human error maybe."^[16] He won silver in the finals of the 400-meter race.^[17]

In the 200-meter freestyle, Park managed to repeat his silver medal from Beijing by tying China's Sun Yang with a matching time of 1:44.93.^[18][19]

In his third and final event, 1500-meter freestyle, Park posted a South Korean record of 14:50.61, but missed the podium by a 10.3-second margin behind defending Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia.^[20]

2014 Pan Pacific Championships

The 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2014 Hancock Prospecting Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, from 21 to 25 August 2014. In this event, Tae Hwan Park became the first man to ever win the 400-meter free Pan Pacs title three straight times (2006, 2010, 2014) as he put up a 3:43.15 in the finale. Not only is Park the first to win the title three straight times with titles in 2006 and 2010, he’s also the first three-time winner period. He broke a tie with Ian Thorpe (1999, 2002) with his victory tonight.^[21]

2014 Asian Games

Park, a national icon who remains the only South Korean with an Olympic swimming gold, had previously argued that a Seoul-based doctor named Kim had given him an injection without fully disclosing that it could contain a banned substance. The doctor was later indicted on charges of professional negligence and will stand trial next month. FINA also stripped Park of all medals earned after September 3. The suspension cost Park six medals he captured at the Incheon Asian Games, when all swimming races were held at an arena bearing Park's name. Three of those medals came in relays, and Park's teammates in those races will lose their medals because of Park's suspension.^[22]

Personal bests

• 100m 48.42 (2014) Swimming at New South Wales Championships Final; won a bronze medal
• 200m 1:44.80 (2010) 2010 Asian Games Final; won a gold medal
• 400m 3:41.53 (2010) 2010 Asian Games Final; won a gold medal
• 1500m 14:47.38 (2012) Swimming at a race in Sydney

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Park Tae-hwan.

• Official Webpage by Korean Sports Council (Korean)
• Athletes' bio of Park Tae-hwan, provided by NBCOlympics.com