The site of the crash was a 1.1 m step-type obstacle that should not have been that difficult for the rider, but the horse made it off the ground too early and its front legs were caught on the upper part of the jump. The horse then turned in midair and Kim hit the ground first, and the horse came down on top of his head and chest. Kim was rushed by ambulance to Hammed General Hospital near the athlete’s village but doctors were unable to save his life. “When Kim was being rushed from the scene, his helmet was still on but there was blood dripping from his head,” said Park Won-oh, the secretary general of the Korean Equestrian Federation. He added it looks as if Kim was crushed under the weight of the 500-kg horse.
The chief of the medical team at a press conference said doctors attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation but could not restart Kim’s heart.
Kim, who had 30 years on horseback, was the oldest member of South Korean team of the Asian Games. He won a bronze medal in the group competition in equestrian jumping in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. Since 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, he participated in the Asian Games four times in a row. Since the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, he turned to eventing, capturing silver at the 2002 Busan Asian Games in group competition. Kim had a doctorate in equestrian studies from Yong-in University. His father, who died in 2002, was also a horseman and took part in 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. He leaves behind his wife So Won-mi (41), 11-year-old daughter Kim Min-ji and son Min-seop.
December 8, 2006
Link to original Digital Chosun Ilbo article.
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