South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young has crashed out of the men's 100-meter semifinals at the ongoing world championships.
Kim finished 23 among 24 semifinalists with a time of 10.40 seconds at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in London on Saturday (local time). Only the top eight made it to the final. It was Kim's worst 100m time of the season.
Kim was the first South Korean to ever reach the world championships semifinals in the 100m. On Friday, he clocked 10.24 seconds in the heats.
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In this Associated Press photo, Kim Kuk-young of South Korea reacts after finishing his men`s 100m heat at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in London on Aug. 4, 2017. (Yonhap) |
Kim owns the South Korean national record of 10.07 seconds, which he set in June.
Kim, 26, finished last in Heat 1 in the semis, with Akani Simbine and eventual gold medalist Justin Gatlin finishing first and second in 10.05 and 10.09 seconds, respectively.
As he had done in the heats, Kim had the fastest reaction time in his group, with 0.115 second. He was neck-and-neck with the rest of the pack through the first 30m but quickly lost steam.
"I felt like I took a big step forward by reaching the semifinals, but at the same time, I felt disappointed with my result," Kim said. "I want to show my fans that I won't ever give up."
Kim has repeatedly said his goal is to become the first South Korean to break the 10-second mark in the 100m.
"Once I return home, I'll try to break down my problems and fix them the best I can," he said. "I want to take another crack at the national record this year and continue to run in international events to run against the best in the world." (Yonhap)
