Chang Chang-sun (1942 – 2026)

Their Story

Chang Chang-sun was one of South Korea's greatest wrestling figures and pioneering international sports champions. A freestyle wrestler born in 1942, he achieved prominence as a young athlete by earning a silver medal at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games and another silver medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His most significant accomplishment came in 1966 when he won gold at the World Wrestling Championships in Toledo, Ohio—becoming the first South Korean wrestler to capture a world championship title, an achievement that opened a new chapter in his nation's sporting history. After retiring from competition, Chang dedicated himself to building South Korea's sports infrastructure. He served as a national team coach, executive director and vice president of the Korea Wrestling Association, and notably as head of the Taereung National Training Center, the country's premier athletic training facility. He was instrumental in establishing South Korea's overseas training camp program and helped create the country's athletic pension program, directly shaping the development of future generations of athletes. His contributions to Korean sports were widely recognized with presidential commendations in 1964 and 1994, the Korea Sports Award in 1965, and induction into the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's Hall of Fame in 2014. He also served on key committees for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. His lifetime of devotion to advancing Korean athletics—both through his competitive achievements and administrative leadership—left an enduring legacy on the nation's sports development.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_Chang-sun