Lim Nam-kyu
Lim in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Born | 1 September 1989 |
| Alma mater | Yong In University |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | South Korea |
| Sport | Luge |
Event | Singles |
| Coached by | Steffen Sartor (GER) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 임남규 |
| RR | Im Namgyu |
| MR | Im Namgyu |
Lim Nam-kyu (Korean: 임남규; (born 1 September 1989) is a South Korean luger. Lim is competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics for South Korea.[2]
Biography
Lim was born on September 1, 1989 in Gangdong District, Seoul, South Korea.[3]
Lim was a former soccer player who played from middle school until his first year of college.[4] He was a classmate with soccer player Choi Jung-han at Eonnam High School, which was famous for soccer school in Seoul, and played on the same team until he transferred.[5]
Career
Lim began playing luge at the age of 25. After finishing his mandatory military service in 2014, he was studying in college when he took part in a national luge selection test because he wanted to experience the Taereung Athletes Village. There was no luge stadium, the test was based on physical fitness. He thought he was too old to be selected but he ranked first in the test and was chosen to join the team.[6]
Lim was coached by Steffen Sartor and Robert Fegg, and despite having only 4 years of experience, he was selected to represent the national team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.[7] He finished 30th in Men's Singles.[8]
In 2019, Lim retired as an athlete and became a coach for the national team. Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the Korean Luge Federation requested his return to competition because of a shortage of eligible athletes. After consideration, he decided to return to competition.[9]
In December 2021, while preparing for the 2021–22 Luge World Cup in Germany, Lim suffered a deep shin injury during training. He stayed in the hospital for two days before returning to South Korea to recover. Learning that strong performances in the remaining events could secure Olympic qualification, he decided to resume competition just three days later, traveling to Latvia on crutches. He completed the remaining events and earned qualification for his second consecutive Olympics.[10]
Lim participated in 2022 Winter Olympics at Beijing and finished 33rd out of 34 in Men's Singles.[11] Despite having recently suffered a serious injury, he completed the competition and received widespread encouragement and support from the public.[12]
In 2022, Lim was appointed as a luge national team coach under the head coach Wolfgang Staudinger.[13]
Filmography
Television shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–2023 | The Gentlemen's League 2 | Regular Member | [14] | |
| 2023–2025 | The Gentlemen's League 3 | [15] | ||
| 2025–present | The Gentlemen's League 4 | [16] |
References
- ^ "Namkyu LIM". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Luge athlete profile Pyeongchang 2018". pyeongchang2018.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "NamKyu LIM ATHLETE". International Luge Federation - FIL. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Kim Soo-jeong (April 11, 2022). "'1차 합격' 임남규 "父, 축구하는 모습 못 보고 돌아가셔" (뭉찬2)[종합]" ['First-Round Pass' Lim Nam-kyu: "My father passed away before seeing me play football" (Mungchan 2) [Comprehensive]]. Xportsnews (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Go Young-jun (2022-08-18). "'어쩌다벤져스', 프로팀과 첫 대결… 천연 잔디에 '텐션 업' (뭉찬2)" ['Eojjeoda Avengers' faces a pro team for the first time… Tension rises on natural grass (Mungchan 2)]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-11-17 – via Naver.
- ^ Bae Jae-hak (February 17, 2022). "[나이트라인 초대석] 부상 투혼 후 '기적'처럼…루지 국가대표 임남규 선수" [[Nightline Interview] After Fighting Through Injury Like a ‘Miracle’… National Luge Team Member Lim Namkyu]. SBS News (in Korean). Retrieved November 10, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ "Namkyu Lim channels passion into South Korean youth development". FIL Luge. October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ Han Young-jun (February 11, 2018). "[2018평창] 루지 임남규, 남자 싱글 30위로 마감" [[Pyeongchang 2018] Luger Lim Nam-kyu Finishes 30th in Men's Singles]. Financial News (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Cho Su-young (February 6, 2022). "'루지' 임남규의 마지막 투혼…부상 딛고 달린다" ['Luge' Lim Nam-kyu's Final Fighting Spirit…Overcoming Injury and Racing On]. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 10, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ "귀국 후 3일 만의 재출국… 루지 임남규 "올림픽을 위해"" [Departing Again Just 3 Days After Returning… Luger Lim Nam-kyu "For the Olympics"]. Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). January 27, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Kim Dong-wook (February 7, 2022). "'34명 중 33위?' 루지 임남규에게 올림픽은 기적이었다[베이징올림픽]" ['33rd out of 34?' The Olympics Was a Miracle for Luge Athlete Lim Nam-kyu [Beijing Olympics]]. Nocut News (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Ham Cheol-min (February 12, 2022). "마지막 올림픽 치른 '루지 국대' 임남규가 국민들 응원받고 울컥해서 쓴 감사편지" [Lim Nam-kyu of the National Luge Team Writes a Thank-You Letter, Moved by Public Support After His Last Olympics]. Insight (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Pi Joo-young (August 10, 2022). "한국 루지 이끄는 콤비...'뭉쳐야 찬다' 캡틴 임남규와 독일 명장 슈타우딩거" [The duo leading Korean luge: “The Gentlemen's League” captain Lim Nam-gyu and German master Staudinger]. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Choi Yoon-young (April 24, 2022). "'뭉쳐야찬다2' 임남규, 류은규, 박제언 '정식 합류'…안정환, 슈퍼패스로 가라테 이지환 발탁 (1)" ['The Gentlemen's League 2' Lim Nam-gyu, Ryoo Eun-gyoo, and Park Je-un officially join… Ahn Junghwan selects karate athlete Lee Jihwan via super pass (1)]. Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ Kwon Soobin (October 6, 2023). "'뭉쳐야 찬다3' 주장 노리는 임남규·선택의 기로 놓인 이대훈 '생존'" [Lim Nam-kyu aims for captain in "The Gentlemen's League 3"; Lee Dae-hoon faces elimination]. NC Press (in Korean). Retrieved August 7, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Kim Sehoon (August 3, 2025). "'뭉쳐야찬다4' 신우재·임남규·이찬형 VS 방태훈·류은규·한현민…박항서호, 반격 시동" ['The Gentlemen's League 4' Shin Woo-jae, Lim Nam-kyu, and Lee Chan-hyeong VS Bang Tae-hun, Ryoo Eungyoo, and Han Hyun-min… Park Hang-seo's team begins counterattack]. EToday (in Korean). Retrieved August 7, 2025.