Park Tae-hwan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Park Tae-hwan

Park in 2011
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Marine Boy
Born	(1989-09-27) September 27, 1989 (age 35) Seoul, South Korea
Height	183 cm
Weight	76 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Incheon City Government
College team	Dankook University
Medal record Men's swimming Representing South Korea International aquatics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 3 0 World Championships (LC) 2 0 1 World Championships (SC) 3 2 0 Pan Pacific Championships 4 2 0 Asian Games 6 3 5 Total 16 10 6 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 400 m freestyle Silver 2008 Beijing 200 m freestyle Silver 2012 London 200 m freestyle Silver 2012 London 400 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2007 Melbourne 400 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 400 m freestyle Bronze 2007 Melbourne 200 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2016 Windsor 200 m freestyle Gold 2016 Windsor 400 m freestyle Gold 2016 Windsor 1500 m freestyle Silver 2006 Shanghai 400 m freestyle Silver 2006 Shanghai 1500 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2006 Victoria 400 m freestyle Gold 2006 Victoria 1500 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 400 m freestyle Gold 2014 Gold Coast 400 m freestyle Silver 2006 Victoria 200 m freestyle Silver 2010 Irvine 200 m freestyle Asian Games Gold 2006 Doha 200 m freestyle Gold 2006 Doha 400 m freestyle Gold 2006 Doha 1500 m freestyle Gold 2010 Guangzhou 100 m freestyle Gold 2010 Guangzhou 200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Guangzhou 400 m freestyle Silver 2006 Doha 100 m freestyle Silver 2010 Guangzhou 1500 m freestyle Silver 2010 Guangzhou 4×100 m medley Bronze 2006 Doha 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Doha 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Doha 4×100 m medley Bronze 2010 Guangzhou 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Guangzhou 4×200 m freestyle

Park Tae-hwan (Hangul: 박태환; Hanja: 朴泰桓; born September 27, 1989) is a famous South Korean swimmer. He is an Olympic gold medalist and a world champion. Park has won four Olympic medals, five world titles, and 20 medals at the Asian Games. He made history as the first Asian swimmer to win a gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle event. He was also the first South Korean swimmer to win any Olympic medal in swimming. Park is known for being great at many different freestyle distances, from 100 meters to 1,500 meters.

Early Life and Education

Park received a tailor-made birthday cake from Sun Yang to celebrate Park's birthday in 2014 Asian Games

Park Tae-hwan was born in Seoul, South Korea, on September 27, 1989. His father was a saxophone player, and his mother was a dancer. He has an older sister named Park In-mi.

Park started swimming when he was 5 years old. His doctor suggested it might help with his asthma. He looked up to the famous Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe.

Park went to Kyunggi High School and later to Dankook University. He studied Physical Education and graduated from Dankook University in February 2012.

In 2012, Park wrote a book about his life called 박태환 : Freestyle Hero. He also served as a goodwill ambassador for 'Dynamic Korea'. This campaign helps improve South Korea's image around the world.

As an Olympic and Asian Games medalist, Park did not have to do two years of mandatory military service. However, he still completed four weeks of basic training in October 2012.

Challenges and Support

Park in an LG campaign

Park faced some tough times in his career. For a while, he didn't have a main sponsor to help pay for his training. The Korea Swimming Federation (KSF) also delayed giving him award money for his Olympic medals. He finally received this money in 2014.

In 2013, it was hard for Park to find a good swimming pool to train in. There were only a few 50-meter pools in Seoul, which is the standard size for international competitions. Many were booked or not suitable for training.

Later in March 2013, Park joined the Incheon Metropolitan City's swimming team. This helped him get an annual salary. The swimming arena in Incheon City is even named the Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Center in his honor.

Overcoming Difficulties

In 2015, Park faced a challenge when he tested positive for a banned substance. This led to an 18-month ban from swimming by FINA, the international swimming organization. This ban meant he could not compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Later, it was suggested that his situation was linked to problems within South Korea's Ministry of Culture and Sports. Kim Jong, a former Vice Minister, even apologized to Park.

Swimming Career Highlights

Park in 2011

Park and Son Yeon-jae in an advert for LG

Park started competitive swimming at age 7. He won many medals in junior events. In 2003, he was chosen to be part of the Korean national team.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Park was the youngest athlete from South Korea. He was only 14 years old. He was disqualified in the 400-meter freestyle for a false start. This made him work even harder on his starts. Now, he has one of the fastest reaction times among top swimmers.

Major Competitions

Park has competed in many important swimming events around the world. Here are some of his biggest achievements:

• 2006 World Championships (25m pool): He won two silver medals in the 400m and 1500m freestyle events.
• 2006 Asian Games: Park had an amazing performance, winning three gold medals, one silver, and three bronze medals. He won the most medals of any athlete at these Games. He also set two Asian Records.
• 2006 Pan Pacific Championships: He won two gold medals (1500m and 400m freestyle) and one silver medal (200m freestyle). Swimming World Magazine named him the 2006 Pacific Rim Male Swimmer of the Year.
• 2007 World Championships: Park won a gold medal in the 400m freestyle and a bronze in the 200m freestyle. He set new Asian Records in both events.
• 2007 FINA Swimming World Cup: He won nine gold medals across three different events (200m, 400m, 1500m freestyle) in Sydney, Stockholm, and Berlin.

Olympic Success

• 2008 Summer Olympics (Beijing): Park won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle. He also earned a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle. He was the first Asian swimmer to win gold in the men's 400m freestyle. He was also the first Korean to win any Olympic swimming medal.
• 2012 Summer Olympics (London): Park won two silver medals. He earned silver in both the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle events. In the 400m race, he was first disqualified but then allowed to swim after an appeal. He tied for silver in the 200m freestyle with China's Sun Yang.

Continued Achievements

• 2010 Pan Pacific Championships: Park won a gold medal in the 400m freestyle and a silver in the 200m freestyle.
• 2010 Asian Games: He continued his success, winning three gold medals (100m, 200m, 400m freestyle) and two silver medals (1500m freestyle, 4x100m medley relay). He also won two bronze medals in freestyle relays.
• 2011 World Championships: Park won another gold medal in the 400m freestyle.
• 2014 Pan Pacific Championships: He became the first man to win the 400-meter freestyle title three times in a row at this event (2006, 2010, 2014). He broke the record previously held by Ian Thorpe.

Later Career and Return to Form

• 2014 Asian Games: Park competed in his home country. However, due to the issues mentioned earlier, his results from after September 3 were removed. This meant he lost six medals, including three relay medals that also affected his teammates.
• 2016 Summer Olympics (Rio): After his ban ended, Park was allowed to compete. However, he did not perform as well as expected due to not enough training. He did not qualify for the finals in his events.
• 2016 South Korean National Sports Festival: Later in 2016, Park showed great form. He won two gold medals. His times in the 200m and 400m freestyle were among the fastest in the world that year.
• 2016 Asian Swimming Championships: Park won five medals, including four gold medals in individual events and one bronze in a relay. He set a new record for the Asian Swimming Championships in the Men's 200m freestyle.
• 2016 World Championships (25m pool): Park became the first South Korean champion in this competition's history. He won three gold medals in the 200m, 400m, and 1500m freestyle events. His 1500m freestyle time broke the Asian record.

Park did not compete in the 2018 Asian Games.

Personal Best Times

Park's fastest times in his main events are:

• 100m freestyle: 48.42 seconds (2014)
• 200m freestyle: 1:44.80 (2010)
• 400m freestyle: 3:41.53 (2010)
• 1500m freestyle: 14:47.38 (2012)

Filmography

Park has also appeared on television shows:

Awards and Nominations

Park has received several awards for his achievements:

Images for kids

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  Park in LG campaign

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  Park and Son Yeon-jae in an advert for LG

See also

In Spanish: Park Tae-hwan para niños