Bongju Lee
Cheonan City and Cheonan City Sports Association in Chungcheongnam-do have launched to help athlete Lee Bong-ju (pictured), a ‘national marathoner’ who is fighting incurable diseases.
To open fundraising campaigns and marathons
This “life will be a marathon, overcoming the hurdle”
According to Cheonan City on the 21st, the Corpse Yukhoe recently held a board meeting to discuss ways to support this player. “It is a pity that Lee Bong-ju, a Korean marathon hero and representative sportsman from Cheonan, is suffering from incurable diseases,” said Han Nam-kyo, chairman of the Cheonan Sports Council. Corpse Yukhoe decided to start a fundraising campaign against the citizens of Cheonan. In addition, it was decided to hold a national marathon in Cheonan under the name of Lee Bong-ju.
In this regard, Cheonan Mayor Park Sang-don said, “I know that I have stepped off to help Lee Bong-ju, centering on the Cheonan Sports Club,” and said, “The Cheonan City will also look for ways to help this player.” Mayor Park added, “I will actively review the plans to open the Lee Bong-ju marathon as early as this year.”
Born in Seonggeo-eup, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si and graduated from Seonggeocho-Cheonseongjung, Lee won the 1991 National Sports Marathon. In 1993, at the National Sports Festival, he reached a new sports record with 2 hours, 10 minutes and 27 seconds. Following that, he was called the’National Marathoner’ by sweeping awards in international competitions such as the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Marathon Silver Medal, the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games Marathon Gold Medal, and the 2001 105th Boston Marathon Championship. For this reason, Cheonan City named Lee Bong-ju-ro (Route) in 2001 in his hometown, Gundo, Line 10. Lee retired at the age of 39 after winning the Daejeon National Sports Marathon in 2009.
Since then, the news that the player, who has been actively active in broadcasts, has suffered from muscular dystonia a year ago, was recently delivered through social network services (SNS). Muscular dystonia is a disease caused by abnormalities of the cranial nervous system and is classified as an incurable disease. Symptoms usually appear in the neck. Symptoms of muscle disorders accompanied by pain, such as sudden twisting of the neck and turning or tilting, and the jaw turning differently from one’s own will, appear.
This player is said to have a very bent neck and waist, making it difficult for him to live a normal life. He appeared on a recent broadcast and said, “Since before, my back has been slightly bent.” “I was told to pay attention by buying a brace for my son’s birthday. I should have been paying attention since then, but I think I was too proud of my body.” “Life is a marathon. Like when I ran a marathon, I will pass the current hurdle with my mental power.” He expressed his will to rehabilitation.
Cheonan = Reporter Kim Bang-hyun [email protected]
