ID :
203843
Sat, 08/27/2011 - 14:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/203843
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S. Korea fails to win team marathon medal on Day 1
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea came up well short in its quest for a women's team marathon medal at the ongoing World Championships in Athletics here Saturday, as runners fell behind leaders early and never recovered to end in seventh place.
The team event combines the times of the three fastest runners for each country to award unofficial medals that don't count toward the standings. South Korea's top three, Kim Sung-eun, Lee Sook-jung and Chung Yun-hee, had the combined time of 7 hours, 59 minutes and 56 seconds, well behind Kenya's winning time of 7:26:57. Kim topped the Koreans with 2:37:05, good for 29th place.
China and Ethiopia finished second and third in the team event.
Kenya produced the top three individual finishers with Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat, Priscah Jeptoo and Sharon Jemutai Cherop completing the sweep.
South Korea never cracked the top five at any point during the 42.195-kilometer (26.2-mile) race, as Kenyan, Ethiopian and Japanese runners battled early before the Chinese picked up the pace.
Though it was an unofficial event, South Korea still hoped to be inside the top three on the first day of the top athletics competition on home soil. But encouragement from hundreds of Daegu citizens lined up along the downtown course wasn't enough to get the local marathoners over the hump.
After crossing the finish line, Kim was reduced to tears as she wrapped herself in a towel on the way to the locker room. Lee and Chung collapsed after the race, with Chung, 28, receiving some medical attention.
Kim said the race was a good learning experience.
"I still have a lot of room for improvement," the 22-year-old said. "After this race, I now realize how I should train. At the London Olympics next year, I want to be on par with other Asian marathoners."
South Korea, though, still had its best-ever finish in the team event, which was introduced at the 1997 world championships in Athens.
South Korea is trying to avoid becoming only the third host to be shut out of medals at world championships. Kim Hyun-sub in the men's 20km race walk is seen as the best hope for a medal.
DAEGU, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea came up well short in its quest for a women's team marathon medal at the ongoing World Championships in Athletics here Saturday, as runners fell behind leaders early and never recovered to end in seventh place.
The team event combines the times of the three fastest runners for each country to award unofficial medals that don't count toward the standings. South Korea's top three, Kim Sung-eun, Lee Sook-jung and Chung Yun-hee, had the combined time of 7 hours, 59 minutes and 56 seconds, well behind Kenya's winning time of 7:26:57. Kim topped the Koreans with 2:37:05, good for 29th place.
China and Ethiopia finished second and third in the team event.
Kenya produced the top three individual finishers with Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat, Priscah Jeptoo and Sharon Jemutai Cherop completing the sweep.
South Korea never cracked the top five at any point during the 42.195-kilometer (26.2-mile) race, as Kenyan, Ethiopian and Japanese runners battled early before the Chinese picked up the pace.
Though it was an unofficial event, South Korea still hoped to be inside the top three on the first day of the top athletics competition on home soil. But encouragement from hundreds of Daegu citizens lined up along the downtown course wasn't enough to get the local marathoners over the hump.
After crossing the finish line, Kim was reduced to tears as she wrapped herself in a towel on the way to the locker room. Lee and Chung collapsed after the race, with Chung, 28, receiving some medical attention.
Kim said the race was a good learning experience.
"I still have a lot of room for improvement," the 22-year-old said. "After this race, I now realize how I should train. At the London Olympics next year, I want to be on par with other Asian marathoners."
South Korea, though, still had its best-ever finish in the team event, which was introduced at the 1997 world championships in Athens.
South Korea is trying to avoid becoming only the third host to be shut out of medals at world championships. Kim Hyun-sub in the men's 20km race walk is seen as the best hope for a medal.
