Photo: Pink-seoul-judo / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Song Dae-nam

宋大南　/　そん・でなむ

Judoka from South Korea

April 5, 1979 (age 47)　・　Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea

Gyeonggi Province
judoka

My Take

What stays with me about Song Dae-nam is the timing of his triumph. Winning Olympic middleweight gold in 2012 at 33 is no small thing in a sport that usually belongs to the young, and to me it reads as proof of stubborn, unglamorous persistence rather than raw talent alone. The fact that Korea then chose him as flagbearer for the closing ceremony tells you he earned respect off the mat as well as on it. I have a soft spot for late bloomers who quietly outlast their rivals, and his story from Yongin to the podium is exactly that kind of arc. A champion worth more attention than he gets.

Overview

Song Dae-Nam (Korean: 송대남; Korean pronunciation: [soŋ.dɛ̝.nam]; born 5 April 1979 in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province) is a former South Korean judoka. Song rose to prominence when he won the gold medal in the middleweight division at the 2012 Olympics. He was then nominated as the flagbearer for Korea in the closing ceremony.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Song Dae-nam
Name (Japanese): 宋大南
Reading: そん・でなむ
Born: April 5, 1979 (age 47)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Aries / Goat
Origin: Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Blood type: Private
Height: 178 cm
Agency: Private
Occupation: judoka

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Cheongju University

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AE%8B%E5%A4%A7%E5%8D%97

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