Kim Hwang-tae, South Korea’s first Paralympic triathlete… “I want to win a medal for my wife who has always supported me” | Dong-A Ilbo

From the Marine Corps… 23-year-old electrocution accident
The only triathlete with both arms amputated
Make up for weaknesses in swimming, cycling and athletics
As-yet-undetermined swimming curriculum may determine grades

While laying electric wires, I accidentally touched a 22,000V high-voltage wire. I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I had lost both arms. The doctor said, “Luckily, his life was saved.” Although I tried to relieve the pain with bitter soju, I couldn’t even lift a glass of wine by myself. This happened in the summer of 2000, when Kim Tae-hee (47) was 23 years old.

At that time, my friend Jinhee Kim, who was my age and whom I had known since high school, was beside me and poured me a drink. With the help of Mr. Kim, Kim Tae gradually returned to society. At the same time, Mr. Kim was holding a water bottle instead of a glass. This was because Kim Tae started running marathons.

The two eventually became lovers and gave birth to a daughter in 2004. In the life record that her daughter received after entering elementary school, there was a blank space to write down her father’s occupation. Jin Jintai couldn’t fill in this blank. It’s not because I can’t hold the pen, but because I don’t have a job. Jin Jintai decided to fill in the four letters “national team” in this box and then run and run.

Kim Hwang-tae finally became a national representative in 2020. The event was not the marathon, but taekwondo. Kim Hwang-tae was already an all-around athlete before becoming a member of the 789th Marine Regiment, and he also tried to become a member of the national Nordic skiing team before the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games. However, because the K41 level in which Kim Hwang-tae won the national championship was excluded from the official taekwondo competition, Kim Hwang-tae was unable to participate in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Kim Tae-hee, who has transformed into a triathlete again, will make his Paralympic debut at the Paris Olympics, which opens on the 29th. Kim Tae-hee is the first Korean triathlete to appear on the Paralympic stage. Kim Tae-hee said, “My now adult daughter said, ‘I don’t want my father to get hurt. I was told to stay home, but I really want to go to the Paralympics,'” he said. “My wife has worked hard so far, and I want to repay her with good results.” Kim also participated in this competition as her husband’s instructor (competition assistant).

The Paralympic triathlon includes swimming (750m), cycling (20km), and athletics (5km). During the Paralympics, each sport is divided into different categories according to the degree and extent of disability. However, in the PTS3 class that Kim Tae competed in, the only competitor without both arms was Kim Tae. Kim Tae wears prosthetic hands when cycling, but when swimming, he only uses the strength of his lower back to overcome the current. This is because the prosthetic hands would actually hinder operation.

Kim Hwang-tae won the Paralympic Games despite his disadvantage in swimming, which means he is also good in cycling and athletics. The problem is that during this competition, the swimming competition will be held in the Seine River, which is known for its fast current. If the gap in swimming is large, then there is a limit to catching up in cycling and athletics. Kim Hwang-tae said, “My usual swimming record is 18 or 19 minutes, but in the test event held in the Seine River last year, it was only 27 minutes. “When we passed the turning point and returned to the upstream from the downstream, we were busy floating,” he said.

The organizing committee of this event has decided to check the flow rate of the Seine River and finalize the format of the swimming competition by the 1st of next month, when Kim Hwang will participate in the first competition of the triathlon and PTS3 level. Kim Tae-tae will participate in it. “I heard that the water quality will deteriorate if it rains, so I can only ride a bicycle and run, not swim. Then, I do have an advantage, but I won’t rely on luck,” he said with a smile, adding, “I think I have a chance to win even if the decision is made from upstream to downstream.”