Lee Jung-joon

2.1. Birth and Upbringing

Lee Jung-Joon was born on March 26, 1984. Although specific details about his birthplace or family background are not widely known, he later became associated with the Ansan City Hall team, indicating his professional affiliation within South Korea. He stands 6.1 ft ^{(1.85 m)} tall and weighs 172 lb ^{(78 kg)}.

2.2. Early Athletics Career

Lee Jung-Joon's career as a prominent athlete began to garner attention in 2008, a pivotal year that saw him achieve significant breakthroughs in the 110m hurdles. While the precise details of his initial foray into athletics are not available, his competitive performances in 2008 marked him as a rising star in the sport. He was affiliated with the Ansan City Hall team, which provided the platform for his professional development and participation in various domestic and international competitions.

3.1. 2008 Beijing Olympics

Lee Jung-Joon represented South Korea at the men's 110m hurdles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He qualified for the Olympics by setting a new national record of 13.63 seconds at the Thailand Open Athletics Championships in Bangkok in April 2008, surpassing the Olympic B-standard of 13.72 seconds.

In the first round of the Olympic competition, Lee competed in the second heat against seven other athletes, including strong contenders such as David Oliver of the United States and Jackson Quiñónez of Spain. He finished the race in fifth place with a time of 13.65 seconds, just four hundredths of a second ahead of Mikel Thomas of Trinidad and Tobago. Despite not securing one of the automatic qualification spots, Lee advanced to the next phase of the competition based on his time and performance in the heats, a significant achievement.

Two days later, in the second heat of the quarterfinal rounds, Lee Jung-Joon set another national record, clocking 13.55 seconds. Despite this impressive performance, he placed sixth in his heat and ultimately did not advance to the semi-finals. However, his advancement to the second round made him the first South Korean track athlete in 20 years to reach the second round of a track event at the Olympics since the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

3.2. National Record Progression

Lee Jung-Joon established himself as the premier South Korean 110m hurdler in 2008 by consecutively breaking the national record four times within the year. These achievements highlighted his consistent improvement and rising prominence in the sport. The progression of his national records is detailed below:

The time of 13.53 seconds, achieved at the 2008 Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting in Daegu, not only secured him a second-place finish but also stands as his personal best in the 110m hurdles.