South Korean athlete ready
for World Championships
By Greg Hough
Emerald Contributor
Dr Yung ki Paik h.is spent .1
lifetime competing .uni coach
mg in .1 number of .sports, from
gymnastics to weightlifting to
the high hurdles He has estab
lished himself as one of the all
time great men of sports in
South Korea
Recently retired as a Proles
sor of Physical Kducation at
Chungang University in Seoul,
the 76-year-old Paik dec ided
earlier this year to rekindle an
interest in what may be the sin
gle toughest athletic endeavor
in competitive sports the
track and field decathlon event
On Thursday and Friday Paik
will participate in the deoath
Ion at the World Veterans
Championships in F.ugene He
said lie's "not competing with
anyone — I'm just trying to test
myself.”
To prepare himself for the
test. Paik spends about two
und-a-half hours a day in train
ing He said he gets up early
each morning and runs about
HOP meters, and later in the da\
lifts Indian clubs and does row
ing motions on an exercise 111a
chine.
South Korea
This is Paik's sixth visit to
the United States, and his first
to Eugene Soon after his arri
val here last week, he paid a
courtesy call to Celeste Ulrich,
dean of the University's depart
nient of human development
and performance
Sporting a 1'tHH Seoul Olym
pics pin on his jacket. Pack re
called his athletic successes in
the 1‘IUOs, during the lapnnese
occupation of Korea Ho jac k
son has nothing on this gus
Paik said he was a top gymnast,
weightlifter and hurdler in his
country
Though Paik never competed
in an Olympic Caines, he has
partic ipated in severul Summer
Olympics He coached the ko
rean weightlifting teams during
the putt London (lames and
the P)r>2 (lames 111 Helsinki,
Finland During the Ptt.4 To
kyo (lames he was referee for
the weightlifting competition,
and for last year's Seoul (lames
he was a member of the Seoul
(flympic (lommittee
He says the recent Olympic s
in South Korea moved his
country toward becoming a
strong athletic competitor on
the world scene-. But he added
that a wave of anti-American
sentiment among young South
Koreans threatens to cut the
country off from a prime source
of top-notch training.
Paik. showing he still has the
right stuff as a septuagenarian,
lifted himself from his c hoir in
Ulrich's office in classic gym
nastic pommel-horse fashion
legs straight out. ba< 1 erect
Clearly, he was exci* -d at h
ing the opportunity to pa- i
J
l)r. Yong Ki I’aik
pate in athletic, events at tins
stage of his life
"The <um of physical educa
tion.’' he said, 'is people to
people contact, where we can
he helping eac h other We need
more sports that bring people
of different nationalities togeth
er as world citizens
Volunteers C(,nlinut‘<l from P.ikc MB
mam for those who i an a< I as
translators tor foreign visitors
to the meet, Sunili|vist said,
adding that competitors in the
('hampionships will represent
nearlv lit) i ountries
"We have a particular need
lor lapanese speaking pen
pie," Sundqvist said "Hut
.mvone who (.in speak I rein h
Spanish tlertiian or Italian i an
also likeK help
Sundqvist said she anil se\
eral volunteers have recentU
put in long hours at the ( ham
pionsllips oflice. lix ated at tile
downtown hugcne Milton 1 lie
office will move to \li \rthur
Court later this week, she add
ed
OmversiU senior Adrift Ole
ander is finishing her colie
giate career by interning at the
office for college credit
"I'm having a lot of fun."
Oleander said "Kvervone s
realh eager to help out Kven
though it's close quarters and
people are kind of getting
stressed out. they’re still con
sulerate
Oleander. who works up to
JO hours .1 week .it till' office,
s.nd slu> will ho helping with
registr.it ion ill thf tour bus
.iriM during thf i h.iuipioii
ships Shf iiililfil th.it in ri'i fill
il.ivs slif's hffii making hro
i hurt's and i oupons for the
hum' influx of visitors expect
nil for thf iiifft
Several ol thf foreign visi
tors will hf t mail'd to the
amenities ol Host An Ath
It'll*..1 volunteer program for
thf (Ihampinrisliips i oordin.it
fil hv ire.i ri'sidfiit |.u k \nili-r
son
Anilfrsori s.nil .ibout on
hotisfholils htivi' joiiifd the
program. .old .itldfil th.it up to
J .it could 1:01111! aboard hv thf
fin) ot the (lli.irnpionships
"The initial purpose of the
program is not to house hut to
provide 1 ultiir.il inter.11 lion for
the visitors Anderson said
1 he numbei ol visitors house
holds have volunteered to host
\ arifs trom one to tat he add
<•(1
"The most popular thing
hosts seem to want IS to hold
harin'! ties tor their guests."
Nudetsou said Others have
expressed an interest to take
visitors on lading trips, plav
golf, or go on a hike ride, he
added
Anderson who plans to
compete in the 10.000 meter
run .it the i hampionships
said the Most An Athlete
serv K e w ill he prov ided tree ol
c h.nge to i ompetitors and is
funded primarily hv the volun
leering households A similar
seiv ire ottered during the l‘IH7
( hampionships in Melhourne
Australia was well-received,
he added
One ot the competitors 7I>
year old South Korean
dei athlete I )r Yung Ki I’aik
arrived in Kugene last week
and was taken out to a Chinese
dinner hv i<x al resident K i
Won Khevv, owner and presi
dent of I’.it itu Intormation
I’roi essors in Kugene
1
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