Korea’s 1500m hope rises

[Anchor]

A new golden hope has emerged in Korean athletics, which was previously led solely by Woo Sang-hyuk.

Lee Jae-woong, who set two new Korean records in the 1500 meters in just one month, is determined to prove that Korean athletics can compete on the world stage.

Reporter Lee Jun-hee met with him.

[Report]

In 2019, high school student Lee Jae-woong, who was interviewed by KBS, vowed to become the owner of a new Korean record that surpasses Lee Bong-ju.

[Lee Jae-woong/Athletics Prospect/2019: "Rather than medals, I want to run a record race and break the 2-hour 7-minute mark to achieve a time under 2 hours 5 minutes."]

Six years later, Lee Jae-woong, who transformed into a middle-distance runner, broke the 1500m Korean record for the first time in 32 years.

And in less than a month, he set another Korean record, perfectly fulfilling his promise to himself.

[Lee Jae-woong/Korean National Team: "I was more pleased that breaking the Korean record means I'm one or two steps closer to winning first place at next year's Asian Games."]

Having reduced his time by over 10 seconds in three years, Lee Jae-woong is determined to break the prejudice that Korean athletics cannot compete on the world stage.

[Lee Jae-woong/Korean National Team: "My dream is to make sure that people stop saying Korean athletics can't do it, that middle-distance running can't do it."]

Rising as a new hope for Korean athletics, which was once solely Woo Sang-hyuk, Lee Jae-woong has started training again for a golden run in Nagoya next year.

[Lee Jae-woong/Korean National Team: "Jae-woong, you boldly broke the Korean record that seemed unbreakable, which you aimed for, and I hope you continue to train with the mindset that you can always do it and never give up."]

This is KBS News, Lee Jun-hee.