Mo Tae-Bum

Mo Tae-bum is a South Korean speed skater who sped to victory for his country at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning gold in the 500-metre race and silver in the 1000-metre. He also triumphed at the World Junior Championships, Winter University Olympics, World Single Distance Championships, and won silver and bronze medals at the World Sprint Championships.

Born in Seoul in February 1989, Tae-bum started speed skating when he was in the third grade at school. He made his national debut in late 2004, but it wasn’t until 2006 that he enjoyed major success, taking gold in the 500-metre and 1500-metre races at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Erfurt, Germany. The following year he took part in the first of two World University Games he would compete in, taking two bronze medals but returning in 2009 and winning two gold.

Tae-Bum’s greatest triumph, however, came at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, when he won the 500-metre race and finished a close runner-up in the 1000-metre race. These victories took him to the very top of his sport, and he continued his success over the following two years with one gold medal and various podium finishes at the World Sprint Championships and World Single Distance Championships.