Sin Kim-dan

Sin worked as a lathe operator.{{cite journal|journal=Comment: Communist Fortnightly Review|publisher=Central Books|location=London|volume=2|page=270}} She was separated from her father in 1950 during the Korean War. He lived in South Korea.{{cite book|title=Asian recorder|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OnweAAAAMAAJ|year=1964|publisher=K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press|page=6161|chapter=Japan}} She was described as tall and long-striding.

Excluding 1965, Sin was ranked in the top 10 in the world from 1959 to 1967 at 400 m,{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/women/03-w400Rank.pdf|title=World Rankings — Women's 400|publisher=Track and Field News|pages=1–2|accessdate=5 May 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and from 1960 to 1967 in 800m.{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/women/04-w800Rank.pdf#page=2|title=World Rankings — Women's 800|publisher=Track and Field News|year=2011|page=2|accessdate=5 May 2012}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In October 1960, she surpassed the 400 metres world record with an unratified time of 53.0.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GZ5jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u80FAAAAIBAJ&dq=sin-kim-dan&pg=3162%2C4680044|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715165406/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GZ5jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u80FAAAAIBAJ&dq=sin-kim-dan&pg=3162,4680044|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2012|agency=Associated Press|title=Reds claim record|date=25 October 1960|work=Palm Beach Post|page=15|accessdate=5 May 2012}} She won the 400 m at the Brothers Znamensky Memorial meeting in Lenin Stadium, Moscow, in 1961, 62, and 63.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=93YhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T4kFAAAAIBAJ&dq=sin-kim-dan&pg=621%2C531867|title=American, Frenchmen star in Moscow meet|date=1 July 1963|agency=Associated Press|work=Schenectady Gazette|page=17|accessdate=5 May 2012}} At Pyongyang in 1962, she ran 400 m in 51.9 s, becoming the first woman to break the 53-second barrier and 52-second barrier.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=4680.html|title=400 m Women Landmarks|publisher=IAAF|accessdate=5 May 2012}} Of her eight claimed world record marks, this would be the only one ratified.{{cite book|title=12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009|chapter-url=http://www.iaaf.org/mm/document/competitions/competition/05/15/63/20090706014834_httppostedfile_p345-688_11303.pdf#page=297 |date=2009-07-06|publisher=IAAF|location=Lausanne|page=641|chapter=Progression of Official World Records: Women}}{{cite book|last=Matthews|first=Peter|title=Historical Dictionary of Track and Field|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQFHe9RwE0wC&pg=PA126|accessdate=5 May 2012|date=2012-04-30|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810867819|page=126|chapter=Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of}} A note in the 1964 British Athletics yearbook states, "The IAAF are withholding recognition of a time of 53.1 by Betty Cuthbert on 11.3.63 pending investigation of Sin Kim Dan's 51.9; meanwhile there is no official world record."{{cite book|last1=National Union of Track Statisticians|last2=British Amateur Athletic Board|title=British athletics|year=1964|page=10}}

Sin represented North Korea at the GANEFO (Games of the New Emerging Forces) in 1963 and 1966, winning gold in the 200 m, 400 m, and 800 m at both games.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/gang.htm|title=GANEFO Games|work=gbrathletics.com|publisher=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=5 May 2012}} Her 1963 times of 51.4 (400 m) and 1:59.1 (800 m) bettered the world records, the latter the first woman under 2 minutes.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9385.html|title=800 m - Women Landmarks|publisher=IAAF|accessdate=5 May 2012}} They were never ratified by the IAAF, however, as GANEFO was not an approved competition.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/332.html|title=November 12 down the years|work=On This Day|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=5 May 2012}}

Sin's personal bests were set in 1964 in Pyongyang, at 51.2 for 400 m and 1:58.0 for 800 m. The IAAF suspended GANEFO competitors, effectively barring Sin from the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uGRkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QnwNAAAAIBAJ&dq=sin-kim-dan&pg=5727%2C4921177|title=Korean speedster out due to Games ban|author=The Canadian Press|date=3 October 1964|work=The Calgary Herald|page=14|accessdate=5 May 2012|author-link=The Canadian Press}} Sin was reunited with her father at Haneda Airport for a few minutes before being turned back from Japan. Ann Packer won the Olympic 800 m in a new official world record of 2.01.1.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/may/04/ann-packer-tokyo-olympics|title=No 27: Ann Packer wins 800m in 1964 |last=Nakrani|first=Sachin|date=4 May 2012|work=50 stunning Olympic moments|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=5 May 2012|location=London}}

In 1966, Time magazine stated in an article on the introduction of gender verification in sports:{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836386,00.html|title=Track & Field: Preserving la Difference|date=16 September 1966|magazine=Time|accessdate=5 May 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612003903/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836386,00.html |archivedate=2008-06-12}}

:Finally there was Sin Kim Dan, a delicate little North Korean lass who broke the women's records at both 400 meters and 800 meters two years ago; some time later, an overjoyed elderly gentleman in South Korea recognized Sin as the son he had lost in the war.

This claim has been repeated since.{{cite web|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2782/switch-hitter|title=If a man has a sex change, can he compete in the Olympics as a woman?|publisher=The Straight Dope|accessdate=2009-08-19|date=2008-08-22}}{{cite book|last1=Schaffer|first1=Kay|last2=Smith|first2=Sidonie|title=The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics, and the Games|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMzYdZpk8qMC&pg=PA146|accessdate=5 May 2012|date=2000-08-01|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=9780813528205|page=146|chapter=One Chromosome Too Many?}}

Sin was one of the first awarded the title "People's Athlete" after its creation in 1966 by the Supreme People's Assembly.{{cite book|last=Yŏnhap Tʻongsin|title=North Korea Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIlh9nNeadMC&pg=PA495|accessdate=5 May 2012|year=2003|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=9780765610041|pages=495–496}}

• Women's 400 metres world record progression
• 800 metres world record progression#Women

• {{cite journal|last=Derun |first=P |title=Training Experiment of Sin Kim Dan|journal=Track Technique—The Journal of Technical Track & Field Athletics|issue=48}}

{{reflist}}

;Articles on Kim-dan meeting her father at the Tokyo Olympics:

• {{cite web |url=http://ehistory.go.kr/page/pop/movie_pop.jsp?srcgbn=KV&gbn=DH&mediaid=380&mediadtl=3299&quality=W |title=The torch of anti-communism |date=23 October 1964 |work=ehistory |publisher=Government of South Korea |language=Korean}}
• {{cite web |last=Kim |first=Youn Cheol |url=http://h21.hani.co.kr/section-021170000/2008/05/021170000200805290712030.html |title=Geum-Dan |date=29 April 2008 |work=The Hankyoreh |language=Korean}}

;Photographs of Sin:

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130811235857/http://visualrian.ru/en/site/gallery/#687552 Tamara Press, U.S.S.R., Sin Kim Dan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Iolanda Balas, Romania, taking part in Znamensky Brothers Memorial athletics meet.] Yuriy Somov, 3 July 1962 (RIA Novosti)
• [https://archive.today/20130223000632/http://fhm.no/image/390509/0/500/380 Sin Kim Dan] PR Photos (FHM Norway)

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Category:1938 births

Category:North Korean female sprinters

Category:Living people

Category:Sex verification in sports

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:North Korean female middle-distance runners

Category:People's Athletes