남승룡 南昇龍
Bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics; pen name Hohoe
| Life | 1912 ~ 2001 |
| Era | 일제강점기·현대 |
| Clan | 영양 남씨 |
Life & career
Nam Seung-ryong (南昇龍, 1912-2001) was a marathon runner from Suncheon, South Jeolla, of the Yeongyang Nam clan, with pen name Hohoe (湖淮). After primary school in Suncheon he entered Yangjeong High School but dropped out, went to Japan in 1927 to finish Asabu Commercial Middle School in Tokyo, and graduated in philosophy from Meiji University.
He won the All-Japan Marathon Championship in 1932 and the Far Eastern Championships in 1933. He took first place in the Japan Foundation Day international marathon in both 1934 and 1935, and in 1936 won the Berlin Olympic trials, beating Sohn Kee-chung.
At the 1936 Berlin Olympic marathon he won the bronze medal in 2:31:42. He competed as a member of the Japanese team, under a Japanese name, in a painful era, and Sohn Kee-chung took the gold. After liberation, at the 1947 Boston Marathon, which he attended with Suh Yun-bok and Sohn Kee-chung, he placed 12th in 2:40:10. He later became a director of the Korea Athletics Federation and a professor at Chonnam National University, and received the Order of Civil Merit, Moran Medal. In the 2023 film '1947 Boston' he was played by Bae Seong-woo.
Alongside Sohn Kee-chung
He is said to have beaten Sohn Kee-chung at the 1936 Olympic trials; at the Games Sohn won gold and Nam bronze. It was a result achieved under the constraint of having to run for Japan.
Boston, 1947
He took part in the 1947 Boston Marathon won by Suh Yun-bok and finished 12th himself. A commemorative photograph with Sohn Kee-chung, Suh Yun-bok and Kim Gu at Gyeonggyojang remains.
After Competing
After his racing career he worked as a director of the Korea Athletics Federation and as a professor at Chonnam National University.