Chung Yun-hee (; born 3 January 1983) is a South Korean

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

and

marathon race The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

specialist. She began competing in the longer

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

events at a comparatively young age and was third in the Seoul Half Marathon in 2001 – her time of 1:17:51 was among the fastest by a junior that year. The following year she made her debut over the full distance at the

Seoul International Marathon The Seoul International Marathon (), also known as The Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon or Seoul Marathon, is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is hosted by the newspaper ''The Dong-A Ilbo''. It is one of two annual ra ...

and secured third place with a time of 2:33:22. She earned a spot on the South Korean team for the

2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games, officially known as the XIV Asian Games and also known as Busan 2002 (), were an international multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Due to schedule impediments the football tour ...

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

and ran a career best of 32:46.54 for the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

, finishing in fifth place. At twenty years old she entered the 2003

JoongAng Seoul Marathon The JoongAng Seoul Marathon is an annual footrace that takes place in Seoul, South Korea, usually in early November. First held in 1999, the race was established as a commemoration of Olympic marathon race which was held as part of the 1988 Seo ...

and came away with her first win in the event, setting a course record time of 2:30:50 which stood for four years. She won the Chunju-Kunsan International Marathon in April 2004 and earned selection for the national Olympic marathon team. At the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, she finished in 23rd place, the second South Korea past the line after her compatriot Lee Eun-jung. She disappeared from the international

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

scene in 2004 and only re-emerged in 2008. She made her comeback at the Gyeongju International Marathon in October 2008 and was runner-up behind her national rival

Yun Sun-suk Yun may refer to: *Yǔn, Chinese name of Xionites, a nomadic tribe of Central Asia *Yun (Chinese name) (云/雲), a Chinese family name *Yun (ancient surname), an ancient Chinese surname *Yeon, or Yun, Korean (or Dutch given name) family name *Yun ...

. Continuing her focus on the marathon she ran at the Seoul International Marathon and finished in sixth place. A return to Gyeongju in 2010 marked her re-establishment among the elite as she ran her second fastest ever time (2:32:09) to win her first marathon in six years, finishing some sixteen minutes ahead of the field. In March 2011 she was the first Korean home at the Seoul International Marathon, taking third place in a time of 2:32:25. Chung represented her country on home turf at the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in the ...

held in

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

and placed 35th in the women's marathon race. At the 2012 Seoul International Marathon she was eighth and the second Korean finisher. She competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and finished in 41st place in a time of 2:31:58.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chung, Yun-hee Living people 1983 births South Korean female long-distance runners South Korean female marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for South Korea Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Asian Games Asian Games athletes for South Korea 21st-century South Korean sportswomen