Im Dae-won

Im Dae-won

Personal information
Full name	Im Dae-won
Nationality	South Korea
Born	16 August 1976 Imsil, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Height	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Sport	Wrestling
Style	Greco-Roman
Club	Samsung Sports
Coach	Ahn Han-bong
Medal record Men's Greco-Roman wrestling Competitor for  South Korea World Championships 2003 Créteil 55 kg Asian Championships 2004 Almaty 55 kg 2003 Delhi 55 kg

Im Dae-won (Korean: 임 대원; born August 16, 1976 in Imsil, Jeollabuk-do) is a retired amateur South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's featherweight category.^[1] He produced a remarkable tally of three career medals, including a silver in the 55-kg division at the 2003 World Wrestling Championships in Créteil, France, and also finished seventh at the 2004 Summer Olympics, representing his nation South Korea. Having worked as a full-time employee for Samsung Sports, Im trained throughout his sporting career as a member of its wrestling team under head coach Ahn Han-bong.

Im highlighted his sporting career at the 2003 World Wrestling Championships in Créteil, France, where he picked up a silver medal in the 55-kg division, losing 5–6 to three-time Olympic veteran Dariusz Jabłoński of Poland.^[2] Because of his unprecedented success, Im emerged as one of the top favorites to win a medal for the Olympic Games, and went on to grab another silver at the Asian Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan by the following year.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Im qualified for the South Korean squad, as a 28-year-old, in the men's 55 kg class. Earlier in the process, he placed second behind Jablonski at the World Championships and guaranteed a spot on South Korea's Olympic wrestling team by obtaining a silver medal from the Asian Championships.^[2][3] He dominated the prelim pool by pulling into a 4–4 tie over Kazakhstan's Nurbakyt Tengizbayev, and dismantling another Olympic veteran Marian Sandu of Romania with a 3–6 verdict to secure him a spot for the next round. As he faced off against eventual Olympic silver medalist Geidar Mamedaliyev of Russia, Im could not hold him tightly to score enough points and lost the match 3–0, placing seventh in the final standings.^[4][5]

References

1. "Im Dae-won". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
2. "Swede Beaten At Greco-Roman Worlds". Associated Press. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
3. Abbott, Gary (13 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 55 kg/121 lbs. in men's Greco-Roman". USA Wrestling (The Mat). Retrieved 21 May 2014.
4. "Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 55kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
5. "Korea Faces Setback on Day 11 at Summer Olympics". The Chosun Ilbo. 25 August 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2014.

External links

• Profile – International Wrestling Database