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, Korean pronunciation: [pak̚.tʰɛ̝.ɦwan]; born September 27, 1989) is a famous South Korean swimmer who is now retired. He won a gold medal at the Olympics and is a world champion. He has won four Olympic medals, five world titles, and 20 medals at the Asian Games.

Park made history as the first Asian swimmer to win a gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle event. He is also the first South Korean swimmer ever to win an Olympic medal in swimming. He holds three Asian Records in men's freestyle swimming. Park is known for being good at many different distances, from 100-meter to 1,500-meter freestyle races.

Early Life and Swimming Start

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 would help with his asthma. He began competing at age 7 and won many medals in junior events. Because of his early success, he was chosen to join the Korean national swimming team in 2003.

Park looked up to the famous swimmer Ian Thorpe. He went to Kyunggi High School and later studied Physical Education at Dankook University. He graduated from Dankook University in February 2012.

In 2012, Park wrote a book about his life called 박태환 : Freestyle Hero. He also became a goodwill ambassador for 'Dynamic Korea', which helps promote South Korea around the world.

As an Olympic and Asian Games medalist, Park was excused from two years of mandatory military service. However, he still had to complete four weeks of basic training in 2012.

Challenges and Comebacks

Park in an LG campaign

Park faced some challenges during his career. After his sponsorship ended in 2012, he had to pay for his training himself for a while. It was also hard for him to find a good swimming pool to train in Seoul.

In 2013, Park joined the Incheon Metropolitan City's swimming team. Since then, he has received a yearly salary from the city. In honor of his achievements, the swimming arena in Incheon City is now called the Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Center.

A Difficult Time

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

Later, it was suggested that his situation might have been caused by issues within South Korea's Ministry of Culture and Sports. Kim Jong, a former Vice Minister, even apologized to Park.

Swimming Achievements

Park in 2011

Early Competitions

Park's first big international competition was the 2004 Summer Olympics when he was just 14. He was the youngest athlete on Team South Korea. He was disqualified for a false start in the 400-meter freestyle. This made him work harder on his starts, and now he has one of the fastest reaction times among top swimmers.

2006 Asian Games Success

At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Park had amazing success. He won three gold medals, one silver, and three bronze medals. This was the most medals won by any athlete at those Games. He also set two Asian Records. Because of his great performance, Park was named an "Athlete of the Games."

2006 Pan Pacific Championships

In 2006, at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Canada, Park won two gold medals (1500m and 400m freestyle) and one silver medal (200m freestyle).

He was named the 2006 Pacific Rim Male Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.

2007 World Championships

Park continued his winning streak at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Australia. He won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle and a bronze medal in the 200-meter freestyle.

2008 Summer Olympics Glory

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Park achieved his biggest dream. He won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle and a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle. He was the first Asian swimmer to win gold in the men's 400-meter freestyle and the first Korean to win any Olympic swimming medal.

His winning time in the 400-meter freestyle made him the second fastest swimmer ever in that distance at the time. In the 200-meter freestyle, he joined a small group of elite swimmers who had swum under 1 minute and 45 seconds.

2010 Asian Games Dominance

Park continued to shine at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. He won three more gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyle events. He also added two silver and two bronze medals to his collection.

2011 World Championships

At the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, Park won another gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle.

2012 Summer Olympics

Park Tae-hwan swimming in the 400-metre final at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Park in 2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Park won two silver medals. He earned silver in both the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle events. In the 400-meter race, he was first disqualified by mistake but then allowed to swim after an appeal. He tied with China's Sun Yang for silver in the 200-meter freestyle.

2014 Pan Pacific Championships

In 2014, Park made history again at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Australia. He became the first man to win the 400-meter freestyle title three times in a row (2006, 2010, 2014).

2014 Asian Games

Park with Sun Yang of China, in 2014 Incheon Asian Games

Park and his teammates in 2014 Incheon Asian Games

Park competed in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. However, due to the previous issue with a banned substance, FINA later removed all of his results from September 3 onwards from the records. This meant Park lost six medals he had won at these Games.

2016 World Championships (SC)

In 2016, Park competed in the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m). He became the first South Korean champion in this event's history. Park won three gold medals in freestyle events: 200-meter, 400-meter, and 1500-meter. His winning time in the 1500-meter freestyle broke the Asian record.

Park said that his performances made him feel more confident. He looked forward to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Personal Best Times

Park's best times in different freestyle events are:

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

Television Appearances

Park Tae-hwan has also appeared on several television shows:

Awards and Recognition

Park Tae-hwan has received several awards for his achievements:

Images for kids

• 

  Park and Son Yeon-jae in an advert for LG

• 

  Park in 2012 Summer Olympics

• 

  Park Tae-hwan swimming in the 400-metre final at the 2012 Summer Olympics

• 

  Park with Sun Yang of China, in 2014 Incheon Asian Games

• 

  Park and his teammates in 2014 Incheon Asian Games

See also

In Spanish: Park Tae-Hwan para niños