Kyobo Life nurtures future sports stars

Kyobo Life Insurance announced Monday that the Kyobo Life Cup Youth Athletic Competition, a nationwide sports event for young athletes, has completed its 21-day run early this month.

The annual event kicked off on June 13, with over 4,000 student-athletes competing in seven sports, including track and field, judo, ice skating, table tennis, gymnastics, tennis and swimming. The insurer said the competition showcased the talents of young athletes with aspirations of representing the country in the future.

Notable performances included Choi Eun-woo setting a new record in the boys’ 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries with a time of 1:09.08, and then breaking his own record in the finals with 1:07.13.

Ko Tae-sung won the boys’ 100-meter sprint, setting a new competition record of 11.65 seconds, while Kim Chae-yeon broke the shot put record with a throw of 11.79 meters.

Rising tennis star Choi Min-gun took first place in both the boys’ singles and doubles for the 12-year-old category, and Kang Hye-yul topped the short-track speed skating competition in the fifth and sixth-grade divisions.

The event’s past participants achieved remarkable success during the Paris Olympics. They included bronze medalists Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon in table tennis, and Lee Joon-hwan, who won bronze in judo in the men's 81-kilogram category. Other distinguished alumni include speed skaters Choi Min-jeong and Lee Sang-hwa, gymnast Yang Hak-seon and swimmer Park Tae-hwan.

Olympic athletes and officials from sports associations also attended the event to support and encourage young competitors, the company said.

The Kyobo Life Cup Youth Athletic Competition is the only nationwide comprehensive sports event for young Korean athletes organized by a private entity. Since 1985, Kyobo Life has hosted this event to nurture young sports talent.

Kyobo Life covers transportation and meal expenses for all participants and awards scholarships to outstanding athletes. The company also offers practical support, such as psychological counseling and rehabilitation services.

Up to now, around 148,000 student-athletes have participated in the competition, with approximately 450 representing the country at the national level, winning over 200 medals in the Olympics and Asian Games.