I’ve borrowed (aka, swiped) the following article from Holden, fellow Korean runner. Thanks, Holden!

Korean Marathoners in the Olympics

Excerpt from The Korea Times.

Hwang Young-cho - Marathon 1992 Barcelona Olympics

The 1996 Barcelona Olympics are unforgettable for South Koreans in two ways.

First, it was the only Games where the first and the last gold medal went to South Korea, and second, it was South Korea�s Hwang Young-cho who won the last gold medal of the Olympics in marathon to cap the greatest finish ever in our Olympic history.

The first Korean to win a gold medal at the Olympics was Sohn Ki-chung at the 1936 Berlin Games but he ran under the flag of Japan as Korea was under its colonial power. While it is definitely something to be proud of it also left Koreans feeling like something was missing and many yearned for another marathoner to top the podium to relieve Sohn�s grief. It was finally accomplished at Montjuic Stadium after a 56-year wait.

The race itself was a thriller. Hwang, who was running just his just fourth full-course marathon at Barcelona, raced neck-and-neck with Japan�s Koichi Morishita for the lead before the 40-kilometer point.

Then, all of a sudden, he somehow found another gear up Montjuic hill and left his Japanese rival behind. Shocked with the unexpected rush, Morishita tried to catch up but came up short.

All Olympic medals are undoubtedly great achievements. However, Hwang�s was not just a gold medal. It meant much, much more. The aging Sohn burst into tears while watching Hwang�s finish as it was televised nationwide, adding another memorable moment.

Holden’s comment: So, did the Kenyans and Ethiopians boycott the Barcelona Olympics? A Korean and a Japanese dude racing neck and neck for Gold through 40K? What on earth?