[스포티비뉴스=이충훈·박진영·김한림 영상기자] “I love sports, but I hated quitting because of one person. That’s why I wanted to show it. I was able to run well. I endured like that.”
Spotify News met Kim Min-ji (Jincheon-gun Office, 26), who recently became a hot topic as ‘Athletics Goddess’.
Kim Min-ji is not only good looking, but also has excellent skills as an athlete, mainly in the 400m and 400m hurdles. He won the 400m gold medal at the 100th National Athletic Championships in 2019. Since then, the tournament has been canceled due to COVID-19, and Minji Kim is still the champion.
In addition, from 2017 to 2019, he has consistently proved that he is a player who ‘combines both skill and beauty’ without missing the first place for 3 years in the national athletics competitions.
It is only recently that the name has been known. A video of her performing at the National Athletics Championships in July became a hot topic. Kim Min-ji won two gold medals and one silver and one bronze medal.
Minji Kim, who suddenly received a lot of attention like this, seemed to be struggling with malicious comments as much as she was busy. “I’ve been very busy. I get calls from broadcasting companies and I get a lot of inquiries regarding sponsorship through DMs. I get a lot of calls from people I don’t know, so I’m busy and having a hard time.“
Minji Kim started her professional career in earnest when she was in the first year of middle school, and said that it was not easy to get to where she is today. “It was really hard. When I was in high school, one of my seniors annoyed me a lot. Even my close friends at that time turned their backs on me. So I thought, ‘You weren’t mine.’ It was really hard.”
When asked why he was able to overcome this pain, Minji Kim was in tears and might not speak for a while. “I really liked sports, but I hated quitting because of one person. So I wanted to show that I can run well. That’s how I persevered.”
Rather than giving up, Kim Min-ji took this as a stepping stone and grew into a better player. The scars will never go away for the rest of your life.
Kim Min-ji talks regarding what happens to a player with the same name “‘Kim Min-ji before plastic surgery’ appeared in the related search term. But that’s not me, it’s an athlete with the same name. He knew me before and following plastic surgery. They both feel bad. But there’s no way to explain it.”He complained of frustration.
Kim’s ultimate goal “Until people recognize me and become a popular sport from an unpopular sport. I want to exercise without getting sick and enjoy the track count until I am 35.”to be.
Kim Min-ji is rehabilitating her injury and preparing to compete in the 2022 National Sports Festival.