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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Sim Bok-seok? A Seoul mate.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Sim Bok-Seok)

Sim Bok-seok
Personal information
NationalitySouth Korean
Born(1928-10-16)16 October 1928
Died13 August 1998(1998-08-13) (aged 69)
Sport
SportLong-distance running
Event
5000 metres

Sim Bok-seok (Korean: 심복석; 16 October 1928 – 13 August 1998), also written as Shim Pong-Sik or Bok Suk Shim, was a South Korean long-distance runner.[1] He competed in the men's 5000 metres at the 1948 Summer Olympics.[2]

Career

[edit]

Sim attended Korea University. He set a record in July 1948 and his debut at the London Olympics was anticipated by the Korean public.[3] A farewell party was held for him before he left.[4]

Sim was part of the "Joseon Olympic team" (Korean: 조선 올림픽 대표단).[5] He was seeded in the first heat of the 5000 metres at the 1948 Olympics.[6] He finished in 10th place and did not advance to the finals.[7][8]

He was described as being close to the world record in 1948.[9]

At the 1949 Korean National Sports Festival, Sim was selected to open the games by taking an oath representing the athletes.[10]

He won the 1952 South Korean Athletics Championships over 5000 m, running a time of 15:36 minutes.[11] Also in 1952, Sim set a South Korean marathon record that still stood as of 1958.[12] He was recruited to Brigham Young University beginning in 1952.[13]

Representing the BYU Cougars track and field team, Sim won the school's intramural mile in 1954.[14]

Sim was called a "mystery man" following his entry into the 1955 Boston Marathon.[15] At the race, Sim led the race at the 19-mile mark. He was later passed and dropped out of the race at Heartbreak Hill.[12][16] He was said to have run out of energy because he had no support to feed him.[17]

Sim set a dual meet record in the mile for BYU in 1956, running 4:20.8 minutes.[18] He went on to finish 6th in the 5000 metres at the 1956 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking the lead on the 9th lap.[19] He was selected for a European tour in July of that year.[20]

He also competed in cross country running for BYU, winning the 1956 Intermountain Amateur Athletic Union cross country championships and leading his team to victory there as well.[21]

He was one of two runners chosen to represent 'Man' in a Man vs. Horse ultra-marathon race in 1957.[22] However, he was replaced in November 1957.[23] It was rumored that he withdrew because he was afraid he would lose his amateur standing, as the horses were not Amateur Athletic Union members.[24]

Sim trained running 10 to 20 miles daily in preparation for the 1958 Boston Marathon. He ran 8 miles in 44 minutes and 46 seconds in training, and reportedly would try a new type of running shoe for the race.[12][25] To maximize his red blood cell production, Sim purposefully did not fly from high-altitude Utah to Boston until just before the race day. To maintain energy, he would be fed water and sweet bread during the competition.[17] He was accompanied en route by his coach and Morton Hack, the creator of the new rippled shoes Sim wore.[26] At the race he finished in 35th place, running a time of 3:18:46 hours.[27] He said that the stitching on the experimental shoes cut his feet and the heat hampered his performance.[28]

Personal life

[edit]

Sim was born on 16 October 1928 in Hamgyong Province, Korea. He was one of four children.[13] During the Korean War, Sim was a translator for the South Korean and American military.[13]

Sim attended Korea University and then studied abroad in the United States at Brigham Young University. He was a senior at BYU in April 1958.[3][27][29] He was trained by Dave Geddes, who was also a health instructor at BYU.[30] He was called Dr. Geddes' "personal plodder".[31]

Sim was also the president of the school's Far East club.[32] He helped obtain a student visa for Korean dancer Ae Suk Choe.[33]

After his graduation from BYU, Sim moved to California and became an American citizen.[13] He worked for ARCO until his retirement in 1985. He was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[34] He married BYU graduate student Doris Yoshiko in August 1960.[35]

Sim later married Jean Chang Sil and had three children plus a son-in-law. He died on 13 August 1998, at the age of 69.[13]

In 2019, a scrapbook containing Sim's autograph was brought to auction. He was the only male track and field athlete represented in the book.[36]

References

[edit]
  1. Sim Bok-seok at Olympedia Edit this at Wikidata
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sim Bok-seok Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 "우리選手(선수)들士氣旺盛(사기왕성) 올림픽競技(경기)오늘開塲(개장)" [Our athletes are in high spirits. The Olympic Games open today.]. The Dong-A Ilbo (in Korean). No. 7657. 30 July 1948. p. 2 via Naver.
  4. "올림픽派遣選手沈福石君歡送會(파견선수침복석군환송회)" [Olympic Athlete Shim Bok-seok's Farewell Party]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). No. 7701. 19 June 1948. p. 2 via Naver.
  5. "한국 육상경기와 올림픽대회" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Athletics Federation. 24 May 2013. p. 297. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2025.
  6. Sim Bok-seok at Tilastopaja (subscription required)
  7. Tchir, Paul (8 July 2024). "1948 Korean Olympic Mysteries, Part 1". OlympStats. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024.
  8. Sim Bok-seok at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
  9. "마라손勇將뿐" [Only Marathon warriors]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). No. 7558. 1 January 1948. p. 4 via Naver.
  10. "學徒護國團全國體育大會開幕(학도호국단전국체육대회개막)!" [The Opening of the Student National Sports Festival (Student Defenders National Sports Festival)!]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). No. 960. 11 October 1949. p. 2 via Naver.
  11. "陸上各競技(육상각경기)엔成績不振(성적부진) 33回體育典(회체육전)의中間報告(중간보고)" [Interim report of the 33rd Athletics Championships (athletics competitions)]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). No. 1948. 21 October 1952. p. 2 via Naver.
  12. 1 2 3 Perry, Leo (1 April 1958). "Shim Enters Boston Marathon". Deseret News. Vol. 349, no. 78. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 48. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "SHIM, Bok Suk, [...]". The Los Angeles Times. 19 August 1998. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  14. "Lamb Voted Top BYU All-Around Intramural Star". The Daily Herald. No. 2. Provo, Utah. 2 June 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  15. "Mystery Men In Boston Race". The Hamilton Spectator. Vol. 110, no. 87. Boston, Massachusetts. International News Service. 14 April 1955. p. 36. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  16. "Cougar Runner In Boston Race". The Salt Lake Tribune. 2 April 1958. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  17. 1 2 "BYU Distance Runner Primes For Marathon". The Daily Herald. No. 229. Provo, Utah. 11 April 1958. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  18. "Ten Meet Records Shattered". Arizona Daily Star. Vol. 115, no. 102. Tucson, Arizona. 11 April 1956. p. 29. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  19. "Bill Dellinger Gets Cheers". The Sunday Oregonian. Vol. 75, no. 24. Portland, Oregon. 17 June 1956. p. 61. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  20. "BYU Track-Field Athletes Off On Tour Of Europe". Deseret News. Vol. 346, no. 32. Provo, Utah. 7 July 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  21. "Korean Runner Stole Show In Distance Race". Deseret News. Vol. 346, no. 167. Salt Lake City, Utah. 12 December 1956. p. 44. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  22. "MAN VS. HORSE RACE (Continued From Page 1)". The Uintah Basin Standard. Vol. 1, no. 45. Roosevelt, Utah. 7 November 1957. pp. 1, 12. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  23. "Y. Coach Shifts Team For Race With Horse". Deseret News. Vol. 348, no. 116. Salt Lake City, Utah. 12 November 1957. p. 40. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  24. "Shim Claims Horses Weren't AAU Members". The Daily Herald. No. 135. Provo, Utah. 29 November 1957. p. 8. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  25. "BYU Runner To Test Ripple Soles". The Salt Lake Tribune. Vol. 177, no. 1. Provo, Utah. 15 April 1958. p. 17. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  26. "LOCAL SHOE MAN". Detroit Free Press. Vol. 127, no. 349. 18 April 1958. p. 48. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  27. 1 2 "特殊暴行" [Special atrocities]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Chinese). No. 11122. 21 April 1958. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Naver.
  28. "Shoes Hurt His Feet | Cougar Runner Finishes 33rd in Boston Marathon". The Sunday Herald. Vol. 35, no. 50. Boston, Massachusetts. United Press. 20 April 1958. p. 16. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  29. "오는十九日에 보스톤마라돈" [Boston Marathon on the 19th]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). No. 10024. 16 April 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Naver.
  30. "Thin Mountain Air May Help Shim At Sea Level". Deseret News. Vol. 349, no. 88. Provo, Utah. 12 April 1958. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  31. Nason, Jerry (18 April 1958). "Soldiers, Korean Undergoing Tests". The Boston Daily Globe. Vol. 173, no. 108. p. 40. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  32. "Lecture On Far East Scheduled". The Daily Herald. No. 168. Provo, Utah. 18 January 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  33. Morrison, Julian (23 June 1957). "Korean Dancer Visits In Mebane". News & Record. Vol. 91, no. 159. Greensboro, North Carolina. p. 13. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  34. "BYU Athletes Score Hit In Meets Abroad". Deseret News. Vol. 346, no. 86. Salt Lake City, Utah. 8 September 1956. pp. 8, 9, 38. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  35. "Doris Yoshiko Matsuki Sets Date With Bok Suk Shim". Deseret News. Vol. 354, no. 18. Salt Lake City, Utah. 21 July 1960. p. 34. Retrieved 19 May 2025 via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  36. Kyung-ho, Kim (23 July 2019). "1948년 런던올림픽 한국선수단 사인북, 경매에 등장" [Autograph Book of the Korean Team at the 1948 London Olympics Goes to Auction]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
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