"I'm too young to be called a hero," said Kim Yuna after being named a sports hero for 2016 on Nov. 23 after being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame.

"Sports heroes in the past have been veteran athletes, and I feel very honored to have been given the title of 'sports hero,' despite my young age. It really is a generous title," said Kim during her acceptance speech. "I will consider this prize an encouragement to make good use of my time, to fill my days with even more meaning. I'll make sure to devote myself to improving Korea's sports industries. I'll also make the best efforts to fulfill my duties as a goodwill ambassador and as a member of the executive committee for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games."



Kim Yuna was the figure skating champion at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in the ladies' singles, and won silver at the Sochi 2014 Olympics. She helped draw attention to figure skating back when it was a less well-known sport, and went on to capture the hearts of local and international fans all around the world.

Other athletes inducted to the Sports Hall of Fame include a total of eight athletes, including the late Sohn Kee-chung, the first medal-winning Korean marathon champion who competed in the Berlin 1936 Olympics, and Yang Jung-mo, a wrestler who received a gold medal at the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympic Games.

By Jeon Han, Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photo: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
hanjeon@korea.kr