South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young set the men's 100m national record with 10.07 seconds on Tuesday.
Kim won the men's 100m final at the Korea Open International Athletics Competition in Jeongseon, some 210 kilometers east of Seoul, with the record-breaking time.
Kim broke his own record twice in three days on the same track. On Sunday, Kim ran the 100m in the semifinals of a different competition in the then-record time of 10.13 seconds. Later in the final, Kim posted a wind-aided, unofficial time of 10.07.
South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young. (Yonhap)
It was not recognized as an official record because a tailwind was blowing at 3.6 m/s. The maximum legal tailwind is 2.0 m/s.
There were no such issues on Tuesday, as Kim also finished under the world championships' qualifying time of 10.12, set by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). This year's world championships will be held in London starting on Aug. 4.
Kim has now broken the national 100m record five times. His first came on June 7, 2010, with the time of 10.31, bettering the previous record of 10.34 set by Seo Mal-ku in 1979. Later the same day, Kim broke his own record by 0.08 second.
It stood for five years, until Kim clocked in at 10.16 in July 2015.
Last Sunday, Kim got the mark down to 10.13, and on Tuesday set the new standard with 10.07.
After his latest accomplishment, Kim said he ran even faster than he'd expected after about 80m, but he still has his sights on a sub-10.00 second record.
"My goal has always been to run the 100m in under 10 seconds, and it was no different today," Kim said. "At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, I will try to break the 10-second barrier."
Kim said he was disappointed that his first 10.07 from two days ago was ruled unofficial, but that he was confident he could run below 10.10 without tail wind.
Kim was knocked out early in last year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics with the time of 10.37 seconds, and he said the disastrous result there fueled him for this season.
"I felt I could get something done this year," he said. "I've been trying to improve my endurance and use that to run faster."
Kim ran in Lane 6, and Battulgyn Achitbileg of Mongolia in Lane 7 was called for a false start. The second false start by anyone results in disqualification, but Kim said he wasn't too discouraged.
"Obviously, after one false start, everyone else can get a little passive," Kim said. "But I thought I could always build up my speed even if I have a slow start. I was confident I could kick into a higher gear in late stages."
Asked about what it will take to break the 10-second barrier, Kim said he'd have to run a perfect race.
"In the 100m, even a tiny mistake can be costly," he said. "I have to be flawless from start to finish. I've been trying to lengthen my stride while maintaining speed." (Yonhap)
