Kim Tae-woo

Korean spelling
Hangeul	김태우
Hanja	金泰 雨
Revised Romanization	Gim Tae-u
McCune- Reischauer	Kim T'aeu
See also : Korean name

Kim Tae-woo (born March 7, 1962 in Gimje , Jeollabuk-do Province ) is a former South Korean wrestler . He won a bronze medal in free style light heavyweight at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul .

Career

Kim Tae-woo started wrestling as a teenager. He was a member of the Korea Housing Co. Seoul Sports Club . He was 1.81 meters tall and initially wrestled in the middleweight division , but quickly grew into the light heavyweight division and later into the heavyweight division . He was one of the few South Korean wrestlers who could win international success in one of the heavier weight classes. Almost all South Korean wrestlers who achieved international success belonged to the light weight classes. He wrestled exclusively in free style.

Kim Tae-woo ended his career in 1996. He then took over a coaching position at the South Korean Wrestling Association and was temporarily head coach of the freestyle team. He now lives as a businessman in Dallas, Texas.

He took part in the Olympic Games four times. He first started at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles at the age of 22. In the middleweight division, he finished fifth. He was kicked out of the competition due to a defeat against Rainer Trik from Germany. In 1988 he started at the Olympic Games in Seoul in the light heavyweight division. He managed to win the bronze medal. The wrestler who defeated him and prevented an even better placement was Macharbek Chadarzew from Russia, a multiple world champion. Kim Tae-woo was also very close to winning a medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He started there in the heavyweight division and first defeated Manabu Nakarishi, Japan and Mark Coleman , United States, then lost to Heiko Balz , Germany, won over Subash Verma, India and lost to Ali Kayalı from Turkey. He finished 4th. He last took part in the Olympic Games in 1996. In Atlanta he lost in the heavyweight division against Wilfredo Morales Suarez , Cuba and Sjarhej Kowalewski , Belarus, and ended up in 17th place.

Kim Tae-woo took part in world championships three times. In 1987 he came in Clermont-Ferrand in the light heavyweight division in 12th place, but in 1991 in Varna and 1993 in Toronto he just missed the medals both times with 4th places. The wrestlers who ultimately always failed were Macharbek Chadarzw, Heiko Balz, Leri Chabelowi , Soviet Union and Ali Kayalı.

He was able to achieve great success at Asian games and Asian championships. In 1990 he won the Asian Games in Beijing in the heavyweight division before Boldyn Jawchlantögs , Mongolia and Subash Verma, India. In 1994 he repeated this success at the Asian Games in Hiroshima, where he, again in the heavyweight division, was ahead of Ayub Bani Nosrat, Iran and Battogtochyn Bat-Erdene , Mongolia won. Finally he became Asian heavyweight champion in Manila in 1995 in front of Ba Tumongke, China and Ayub Bani Nosrat.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1984	5.	OS in Los Angeles	medium	behind Mark Schultz , USA, Hideyuki Nagashima , Japan, Chris Reinke , Canada and Rainer Trik, Germany
1987	12.	World Cup in Clermont-Ferrand	Semi-difficult	Winner: Macharbek Chadarzew, USSR ahead of James Scherr , USA and Jerzy Niec , Poland
1988	3.	World Cup in Toledo / USA	Semi-difficult	behind Macharbek Chadarzew and James Scherr
1988	bronze	OS in Seoul	Semi-difficult	behind Macharbek Chadarzew and Akira Ōta , Japan, in front of Gabor Toth , Hungary and James Scherr
1989	11.	German Grand Prix in Bonn	Semi-difficult	Winner: Noel Loban , Great Britain, ahead of Wagab Kasibekow, USSR and Andrzej Radomski, Poland
1989	3.	World Cup in Toledo / USA	Semi-difficult	behind James Scherr and Macharbek Chadarzew
1990	3.	German Grand Prix in Saarbrücken	Heavy	behind Heiko Balz, GDR and Ali Kayalı, Turkey
1990	1.	Asia Games in Beijing	Heavy	before Boldyn Javchlantögs , Mongolia and Subash Verma, India
1991	2.	"Roger Coulon" Memorial in Carcassonne	Heavy	behind Dawud Magomedow, USSR, in front of Heiko Balz, Germany
1991	2.	World Cup in Toledo / USA	Heavy	behind Leri Chabelowi, USSR, in front of Kirk Trost, USA
1991	4th	World Cup in Varna	Heavy	behind Leri Chabelowi, Mark Coleman, USA and Heiko Balz
1992	4th	OS in Barcelona	Heavy	after victories over Manabu Nakarishi, Japan and Mark Coleman, a defeat against Heiko Balz, a victory over Subash Verma and a defeat against Ali Kayalı
1992	5.	Asian Championships in Ulan Bator	Heavy	Winner: Abbas Jadidi , Iran ahead of Lin Chang-Yin, Taiwan
1993	4th	World Cup in Toronto	Heavy	behind Leri Chabelowi, Ali Kayalı and Heiko Balz
1994	1.	Asia Games in Hiroshima	Heavy	before Ayub Bani Nosrat, Iran and Battogtochyn Bat-Erdene , Mongolia
1995	1.	Asian Championships in Manila	Heavy	before Ba Tumongke, China and Ayub Bani Nosrat
1996	4th	Asian Championships	Heavy	behind Abbas Jadidi, Dolgorsürengiin Sumjaabadsar , Mongolia and Konstantin Alexandrow, Kyrgyzstan
1996	17th	OS in Atlanta	Heavy	after defeats against Wilfredo Morales Suárez, Cuba and Sjarhej Kowalewski, Belarus

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championships
• Medium weight, weight class up to 82 kg, light weight, up to 90 kg and heavy weight, up to 100 kg body weight

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• Foeldeak Wrestling Database (Search: Athlete: Kim, Tae-woo)

Web links

• Kim Tae-woo 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. Kim is the family name here, Tae-woo is the first name.