The Korea Herald

소아쌤

Car edges out Korean sprinter in 70m race

By KH디지털1

Published : May 5, 2016 - 17:08

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A 70-meter race between a car and South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young ended with a victory for the machine on Thursday.

The Avante, a subcompact from South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co., finished in 7.544 seconds, while Kim, who holds the national record in the men's 100m at 10.16, recorded 7.739.

The human-versus-machine event -- part of the 2016 Motor and Leisure Sports Festival -- was held at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, 330 kilometers from Seoul.

It was earlier forecast that the 25-year-old sprinter could win the race if he got off to a good start. Kim's average time in the 70m is around 7.40, while the car's average time was 0.02 second faster during practice, according to the organizers.

"My start was not as good as I expected due to the strong wind," Kim told reporters following the race, adding that he would like to have another shot against a car after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games in August.

At the 2015 Universiade, Kim beat his own, five-year-old mark by 0.07 second. In the process, he also met the Olympic qualification standard time. He has been training in Japan to gear up for his first Olympic race. (Yonhap)