Jeonnam Student Athletes Win First Medals at National Youth Sports Festival

Three Gold, One Silver, and One Bronze in Preliminary Track and Field Events
Kim Taebin and Lee Haeun Achieve Back-to-Back Victories

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced on May 19 that 747 elementary and middle school student athletes from the province will participate in 35 sports at the 54th National Youth Sports Festival, which will be held across Gyeongnam starting on May 24.

The Jeonnam student athlete team marked a strong start by winning 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal in the preliminary track and field events held before the main competition.

The Jeonnam student athlete team won 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal in the preliminary track and field events. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

Kim Taebin, a third-year student at Mokpo Hadang Middle School, achieved back-to-back victories in shot put and discus throw, establishing himself as a promising athlete in Jeonnam track and field. Lee Haeun, a third-year student at Gwangyang Baegun Middle School, also demonstrated the strength of Jeonnam athletics by winning the long jump for the second consecutive year. Lee Haeun shared, "I felt a lot of pressure as the defending champion, but I am happy to have overcome it and reached the top in the long jump once again. Although I finished third in the triple jump, where I won last year, I believe this will also be a valuable opportunity for my growth."

This achievement is being credited as the result of the student athletes' consistent effort, the dedication of their coaches, generous support from schools and the provincial office of education, and the unwavering determination of each athlete.

The provincial office of education has been providing systematic support in various areas, including annual training expenses, funding for the purchase of expensive equipment, sports psychology counseling, and training for school sports team coaches, to enhance the athletes' performance and promote their healthy development.

The office explained that, beyond simply achieving medal results, it is pursuing sports policies with a long-term vision to help student athletes clarify their career paths and build future competitiveness.

Superintendent Kim Daejung stated, "With the newly established Jeonnam Education Office K-Edu Center at Troy University in Alabama, USA, as a base, we will provide Jeonnam student athletes with broad opportunities to explore careers across the global sports industry, including sports management and sports marketing."

He added, "Since career paths determine the direction of the future, we will continue to provide consistent and systematic support so that every student can nurture their dreams in their field of interest and take the initiative in designing their own lives through happy and enjoyable challenges."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.