Mo Tae-bum
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Mo Tae-bum (,
Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...
: 牟太釩; ; born 15 February 1989) is a South Korean
speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marath ...
. He is the 2010 Olympic Champion and the 2012 and 2013 World Champion in 500 m. He started speedskating while in the third grade. Prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mo won two distances at the 2006 World Junior Speed Skating Championships. He has competed on the national level since 2004 and has competed internationally since 2005. He won two Junior World Championships in 2006, but did not win any other events until 2009. In 2009 he won gold in the 1000 m and 1500 m events at the Winter Universiade. The international community gave him little attention before the
2010 Winter Olympic Games The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
, but he became the first Korean to win a gold medal in a long track speed skating event as well as earning the silver medal in the 1000 m race. This was a large upset, as he was ranked fourteenth in the world in the 500 m race.
Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...
congratulated Mo for his achievements in speed skating following these wins.


Early life

Mo Tae-bum was born in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
to father Mo Yeong-yeol and mother Jeong Yeon-hwa in 1989. He has one elder sister, Mo Eun-yeong. Mo started skating when his father suggested it while he was in third grade at Eunseok Elementary School. His participation in the school skating team led him to win a cup from rival Lila Elementary School, which had dominated the age group at that time. Since then, Mo has been a close friend to Lee Seung-hoon, a fellow speed skater who also won a silver and a gold medal from the 2010 Winter Olympics. As Mo grew older, he almost gave up skating but, after three years of indecision, he decided against giving it up on the advice of his mother. Mo and his family currently live in the city of
Pocheon Pocheon (; ) is an landlocked, inland Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in northeast Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It covers 2 with a population of 160,176 people, according to the 2008 census. Pocheon lies between Seoul and the mou ...
,
Gyeonggi Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...
province. As of 2010, Mo is a junior at Korea National Sport University.


Junior career

Mo's first event was at the 2005 South Korean Single Distance Championships, which occurred on 23 and 24 November 2004. He finished tenth in the 1000 m race with a time of 1:16.81 and third in the 1500 m event with a time of 1:59.47. His next event was the 2005 World Junior Speed Skating Championships, where he participated in the 500, 1500, 3000 and 5000 m events. However, he did not finish in the top ten in any event except the 500 m, in which he took fifth place with a time of 38.21. In 2006, he attended the 2006 South Korean Sprint Championship, participating in the 500 m, 1000 m, and Samalog events as well as in the 1000 m event at the 2006 South Korean Single Distance Championships, where he finished in fifth place with a time of 1:13.99. He participated in the last eligible race of his junior career at the 2006 World Junior Speed Skating Championships in
Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
, taking first place in both the 500 m, with a time of 35.83, and the 1500 m, with a time of 1:49.71.


Senior career

Prior to the
2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
, Mo had never won a non-junior race. His first adult competition was in the 2007 South Korean Single Distance Championships. He did not place in the top ten in an individual event at the 2008–09 World Cup, finishing in tenth place overall. At the 2009 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships, he came in eighth place in the 1000 m event with a time of 1:10.11, and eleventh place with a time of 1:48.07 in the 1500 m event. At the
2009 Winter Universiade The 2009 Winter Universiade, the XXIV Winter Universiade took place in Harbin, China. Student athletes from 44 countries took part in the games. Selection Harbin was selected by FISU on January 10, 2005 over future 2011 Winter Universiade host c ...
, he won the 1000 and 1500 m events. He has a rivalry with speed skater Shani Davis, who has been faster in all four 1000 m races in the 2009–10 season. However, Mo has always been in second or third place in these races.


2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

Mo qualified for the
500 500 may refer to: * 500 (number) * 500 BC * AD 500 Buildings and places * 500 Boylston Street in Boston * 500 Brickell in Miami * 500 Capitol Mall in Sacramento * 500 Fifth Avenue * 500 Renaissance Center, one of seven buildings in the GM ...
, 1000 and 1500 m events at the
2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
, and was an alternate for the men's team pursuit. He won the gold medal in the 500 m event with a time of 34.92 for his first run and 34.90 for his second run. He won the event on his 21st birthday, and was the first Korean to win an Olympic gold medal in an event outside of short track speed skating. He beat fellow South Koreans
Lee Kang-seok Lee Kang-seok (, born 28 February 1985) is a South Korean Speed skating, speed skater. He is the 2007 and 2009 World Single Distance Championships for Men#500m, World Champion for 500 m. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, he won a bronze medal i ...
and
Lee Kyou-hyuk Lee Kyou-hyuk (, born 16 March 1978) is a South Korean retired long track speed skater who specializes in the 500 and 1,000 meters. He was the 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 World Sprint Speed Skating Champion and the 2011 World Champion for 500 m. ...
, who were ranked one and two in the world respectively, and celebrated by skating around the ice with a gaudy helmet. He also won a silver medal in the 1000 m event, missing the gold medal, won by Shani Davis, by 18 hundredths of a second, but became the first South Korean to win two medals in an event other than short track speed skating. Mo finished fifth at the 1500 m event, with a time of 1:46.47.


Response to gold medal

Mo had been seen as a
dark horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...
, ranked fourteenth in the world, and was surprised by his win. Park Pil-soon, head of the
Korean Olympic Committee The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (, KSOC) is the National Olympic Committee of Republic of Korea (competing as Korea) for the Olympic Games movement and inbound sports issue. It is a non-profit organization that selects players and team ...
's international affairs department commented, "Mo was an unknown, and his gold medal win marks the start of a new generation in South Korean speed skating after Lee Kyou-hyuk." In an interview after the event, he described himself as a risk-taker, and expressed interests in cars and motorcycles.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...
sent a message congratulating Mo, calling him a "proud treasure who rewrote South Korea's speed skating history", and said that he brought jubilation to the South Korean people with his strong spirit and excellent skills. Before the Olympics started the Korean Olympic Team held a press conference; however, he was asked few questions. He stated that, although it was disappointing, it helped him focus on the race. After the race, he personally reacted by stating that he "only imagined and dreamed about it" and saw it as a warm-up for his main event, the 1000 m. He received a warm welcome when he returned to Korea, and his parents greeted him with a homemade banner.


Personal life

On 30 June 2022, it was confirmed that Mo was in a relationship with Miss Korea's ballerina Lim Sa-rang, with whom they developed a relationship from the variety show ''Groom's Class''. On 2 June 2023, Lim's agency confirmed their break-up.


Personal records


Filmography


Television show


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mo, Tae-bum 1989 births South Korean male speed skaters Speed skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Olympic speed skaters for South Korea Olympic medalists in speed skating Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for South Korea Olympic silver medalists for South Korea Living people Asian Games medalists in speed skating Speed skaters at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Speed skaters at the 2017 Asian Winter Games Asian Games silver medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Tae-bum World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships medalists World Sprint Speed Skating Championships medalists Oath takers at the Olympic Games Winter World University Games medalists in speed skating FISU World University Games gold medalists for South Korea FISU World University Games bronze medalists for South Korea Speed skaters at the 2007 Winter Universiade Competitors at the 2009 Winter Universiade South Korean Buddhists Medalists at the 2007 Winter Universiade Speed skaters from Seoul Korea National Sport University alumni 21st-century South Korean sportsmen