Im Dae-won (; born August 16, 1976, in

Imsil Imsil County () is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Imsil County is a county in central South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is an area upstream of the Seomjingang River in the Noryeongsan Mountains, and there is a basin that run ...

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of Sout ...

) is a retired amateur South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's featherweight category. He produced a remarkable tally of three career medals, including a silver in the 55-kg division at the

2003 World Wrestling Championships The following is the final results of the 2003 World Wrestling Championships. The Freestyle Competition was held in New York City, New York (state), New York, while the Greco-Roman Competition was held in Créteil, France. Medal table Team ranki ...

Créteil Créteil () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, dep ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and also finished seventh at the

2004 Summer 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 ...

, representing his nation

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. 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

, where he picked up a silver medal in the 55-kg division, losing 5–6 to three-time Olympic veteran Dariusz Jabłoński of Poland. 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 An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics and wate ...

Almaty, Kazakhstan Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, near the border with ...

by the following year. At the

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, 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. 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.

References

External links

Profile – International Wrestling Database
1976 births Living people South Korean male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for South Korea Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics People from Imsil County World Wrestling Championships medalists Asian Wrestling Championships medalists Martial artists from North Jeolla Province 21st-century South Korean sportsmen {{SouthKorea-wrestling-bio-stub