Park Rewrites Swimming History > 영어토론방

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Park Tae-hwan rewrote Korean sports history Sunday, becoming the nation’s first world champion swimmer at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. In the event Park, 17, whirled past star swimmers to win the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle in a come-from-behind victory.
Park was swimming in fourth place but set a surprise attack upon his rivals in the last lap, beating Australia’s Grant Hackett, an undefeated champion since 1997. He also stopped Australia’s unbroken chain of swimming championships since 1994.

Before Park, the best record for Korean swimming was seventh place in the 200-meter butterfly, set by Han Kyu-chol at the 1998 championship. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) noted the victory as a ``Great Korean First for Park,’’ who ``produced an explosive turn of speed down the final length in a rip roaring finish’’ in its official Web Site (www.fina.org).

Park won the championship title at 3 minutes, 44.30 seconds, cutting his fastest record down by 1:40. He zipped past Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia and Hackett by 0.82 seconds and 1:13, respectively. Three minutes, 40.08 seconds is the current world record, set by retired superstar Ian Thorpe in 2002.
Swimnews Magazine (www.swimnews.com) describes Park’s performance as ``sleek and smooth in style, flat in body position and able to turn on the speed when he needed _suggests that he also has a mind worthy of glancing at Ian Thorpe's mantle.’’
Park, a student at Kyonggi High School, started treading water at the age of five but as a therapy rather than a sport. Long suffering from asthma, Park headed to the pool when his doctor recommended swimming as a possible remedy for the illness. Swimming, however, soon became a source of hope that opened up a whole new future for the young man.

Possessing an amazing level of natural flexibility and buoyancy, Park caught the eye of a swimming coach and began a career in competitive swimming. As a third grade student at Tosong Elementary School, he surpassed his peers at his first competition for boys.

Park continued to conquer local races, and at age 15, he became the youngest athlete to represent Korea at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. But the teen’s high hopes were thwarted when he was disqualified for a false start.
Despite the shaky start, Park went on to achieve impressive records in the international scene. At the FINA World Short Course Swimming Competition last April, the young swimmer swept silver medals in the 400-meter and 1500-meter freestyle races. He then emerged as a triple gold medal winner at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha last December.
Following the Asian Games, however, it was a tough period for the athlete. In addition to suffering extreme weight loss, Park faced administrative problems and was out of training for about a month.

In mid January, Park reinitiated his career, backed by a sponsorship from Speedo, a major swimsuit manufacturer. He sprang back with what he calls a ``dream team’’: Park Sukki, former director of the national swim team, as coach, and Kang Yong-hwan, a long course swimmer, as training partner.
Fortunately, Park regained his stamina and weight (74 kg), and in February underwent training in Melbourne, focusing on long course swimming. In the championship’s total ranking, Park currently runs second, after Peter Vanderkaay of the Unites States. He came in third place in the 200-meter freestyle race yesterday, and will go on to compete at the semifinals.

The young swimmer is a breath of fresh air for Korean swimming, which has been stagnant in recent years. Park said he now dreams of grabbing the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, only a year away. The Korean public is elated at the news of the nation’s first gold medal, and Netizens give their love and support to the young athlete.

Question
1. As you know, Kim Yeon-a did an excellent play at the risk of her pain. Did you have memories like her?
2. There are many ways to PR our own nations. How would you like to PR Korea?
3. Do you think the athletic talent is natural ability or acquired ability? What makes you think so?
4. What talent do you have? Do you satisfy your talent? If not, what talent do you want to have?
 
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