Kim Won-kwon

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Kim Won-kwon, also romanized as Kim Won-gwon (Korean: 김원권; born December 13, 1918, date of death unknown), was a South Korean athlete who competed in long jump and triple jump. He was the world’s leading triple jumper in the early 1940s and competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.

While Korea was under Japanese rule, he represented Japan and won gold in the men’s triple jump at the 1939 Vienna International University Games with a jump of 15.37 meters. He topped the triple jump world lists in 1938 (15.63 m), 1940 (15.68 m), 1941 (15.82 m), 1942 (15.64 m), and 1943 (15.86 m); the 1943 mark was his personal best and remained South Korea’s record for more than forty years. In 1939, reports claimed he jumped 16.25 m in training, which would have been a world record if achieved in an official competition.

Kim was also a strong long jumper and would have been a top favorite in both events at the 1940 Olympics if they had not been canceled due to World War II. He represented South Korea at the 1948 Olympics, finishing 18th in the long jump and 12th in the triple jump. He is deceased.