Kang Yong-gyun

Kang Yong-gyun (born July 23, 1974 ) is a North Korean wrestler . He won a bronze medal in the Greco-Roman style flyweight at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney .

Career

Kang Yong-gyun did not begin wrestling until the age of 16 in 1990. He belonged to the Kaesong wrestling club and has been coached by Cha Kwan since the beginning of his career. During his active time he was a member of the army, later he started studying. He was very light at a height of 1.60 meters and always wrestled in the Greco-Roman style and always in the lowest weight class in men's wrestling, namely the light flyweight (up to 48 kg) and from 1998, after a weight class reform by the International Wrestling Federation (FILA), in flyweight (up to 54 kg). In 2002 he struggled for a further weight class reform by the FILA in bantam weight (up to 55 kg).

In 1995 he started for the first time in an international championship, the military world championship. He won the title in front of the Ukrainian Vyacheslav Sergejenko and the Russian Sergei Girakosijan. In 1996 he finished 2nd at the Asian Championships in Xiaoshan / China behind Sim Gwon-ho from South Korea . In the same year he started at the Olympic Games in Atlanta . He won there in light flyweight over Piotr Jablonksi , Poland , then lost to Aljaksandr Paulau , Belarus , won over Oleg Kutscherenko , Germany , Ioannis Agatzanian, Greece , Hiroshi Kado, Japan and Wilber Sánchez Amita, Cuba . In his last fight he was defeated by Zafar Gulijew from Russia and then had to be content with 4th place.

In 1998, Kang Yong-gyun took second place at the Asian Games in Bangkok behind the 1996 Olympic champion Sim Gwon-ho, ahead of Wang Hui , China and Dilschod Aripow from Uzbekistan . In 1999 he defended his military world title in Zagreb . He won there ahead of Taleh Israfilow from Azerbaijan and Boris Ambarzumow from Russia. In the same year he also took part in the regular World Cup in Athens . He won there in the flyweight over Ercan Yıldız , Turkey , Francesco Costantino, Italy and Simeon Milew, Bulgaria , but then retired after a defeat against Lazaro Rivas Scull from Cuba and came in 6th place.

A great success achieved Kang Yong-gyun in 2000, because he won a bronze medal in flyweight at the Olympic Games in Sydney . On the way to this he lost first to Marian Sandu , Romania , then defeated Alexei Schewzow, Russia and Wang Chao-Li, China, then he lost again to Sim Gwon-ho and won the bronze medal by defeating Andrij Kalaschnykow from Ukraine.

In 2001 he won the Asian Championships in Ulan-Bator ahead of Hassan Rangraz from Iran and Uran Kalilow, Kyrgyzstan, and in 2002 he took second place at the Asian Games in Busan in the bantamweight category behind Aesset Imanbayev , Kazakhstan. Kang Yong-gyun failed to achieve further success because North Korea often did not send wrestlers to the world championships for political or financial reasons.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1995	1.	Military World Cup	Half flying	before Vyacheslav Sergejenko, Ukraine and Sergei Girakosijan, Russia
1996	2.	Asian Championship in Xiaoshan / China	Half flying	behind Sim Gwon-ho, South Korea, in front of Hiroshi Kado, Japan
1996	4th	OS in Atlanta	Half flying	after a victory over Piotr Jablonski, Poland, a defeat against Aljaksandr Paulau, Belarus, victories over Oleg Kutscherenko, Germany, Ioannis Agatzanian, Greece, Hiroshi Kado and Wilber Sanchez Amita, Cuba and a defeat against Zafar Gulijew, Russia
1998	2.	Asia Games in Bangkok	To fly	behind Sim Kwon-ho, in front of Wang Hui, China and Dilschod Aripow, Uzbekistan
1999	1.	Military World Cup in Zagreb	To fly	before Taleh Israfilow, Azerbaijan and Boris Ambarzumow, Russia
1999	6th	World Cup in Athens	To fly	after victories over Ercan Yildiz, Turkey, Francesco Costantino, Italy and Simeon Milew, Bulgaria and a defeat against Lazaro Rivas Scull, Cuba
2000	bronze	OS in Sydney	To fly	after a defeat against Marian Sandu, Romania, victories over Alexei Shevtsov, Russia and Wang Chao-Li, China, a defeat against Sim Gwon-ho and a victory over Andrij Kalaschnykow, Ukraine
2001	1.	Asian Championship in Ulan Bator	To fly	before Hassan Rangraz, Iran and Uran Kalilow, Kyrgyzstan
2002	2.	Asia Games in Busan	Bantam	behind Ässet Imanbajew, Kazakhstan, in front of Uran Klilow and Wang Hui

Explanations

• all competitions in Greco-Roman style
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship
• Half-fly weight, up to 48 kg until 1996, then abolished, fly weight, from 1997 to 2002 up to 54 kg, bantam weight, since 2002 up to 55 kg body weight

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• "Foeldeak Wrestling Database" website

Web links

• Kang Yong-gyun in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Korean. Kang is the family name here, Yong-gyun is the first name.