About Ham Kee-yong
Lived 1930 – 2022 (aged 91). Ham Kee-yong was a South Korean athletics competitor and businessperson.
Ham Kee-yong (; 14 November 1930 – 9 November 2022) was a South Korean marathoner, best known as the winner of the 1950 Boston Marathon.
On 19 April 1950, he won the Boston Marathon with a record time of 2:32:39, under coach Sohn Kee-chung, the marathon winner at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The second and third-place finishers that year, Song Gil-yun (송길윤, 宋吉允; 숭문중학) and Choe Yun-chil (최윤칠, 崔崙七; 연희대학) were also South Koreans. A South Korean male would not win the Boston Marathon again until 2001.
The Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950, so a planned victory celebration did not take place that year. On 18 April 2004, his feat was finally celebrated in his hometown, Chuncheon, with Ham in attendance.
Achievements
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Ham Kee-yong's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Related people
Same field, nearest in time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Ham Kee-yong's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ham Kee-yong?
South Korean long-distance runner
When was Ham Kee-yong born?
Ham Kee-yong was born on 14 November 1930 in Chuncheon.
When did Ham Kee-yong die?
Ham Kee-yong died on 9 November 2022.
What was Ham Kee-yong's occupation?
Ham Kee-yong was an athletics competitor and businessperson.
What nationality was Ham Kee-yong?
Ham Kee-yong was South Korean.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ham Kee-yong. https://biography.guide/ham-kee-yong/
MLA: "Ham Kee-yong." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ham-kee-yong/.
Chicago: "Ham Kee-yong." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ham-kee-yong/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:22 UTC