Toby Dawson
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men’s Freestyle Skiing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 2006 Turin | Moguls | |
Toby Dawson (Korean: 김수철, Kim Soo-cheol, born 김봉석, Kim Bong-seok November 30, 1978 in Pusan, South Korea) is an American mogul skier. He won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Early Life
Dawson was born in Pusan, South Korea as Kim Bong-seok.
When he was three, then-Kim Bong-seok was at a crowded market in Pusan with his mother and went missing. His father went through many orphanages in the area for days, and his son was nowhere to be found.
A couple from Vail, Colorado, who were ski instructors, adopted Kim Bong-seok and he was renamed Toby Dawson.
Reunion with Father
A man from Busan, Kim Jae-su (Korean: 김재수), saw Dawson's image in the media; Kim had a missing son of Dawson's age, a DNA test has proven that Jae-su is indeed Dawson's biological father. Dawson and Kim met in Seoul for the first time on Wednesday, February 28, 2007, along with Kim's younger son. [1] Dawson has stated his intent to start a foundation, named after his birth name, to prevent such cases in the future. [2][3] After the reunion, Kim, Dawson, and his biological younger brother had lunch.
He is a PR ambassador for Korea National Tourism Organization and the 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee. [4]
Marriage
Dawson was married in a ceremony in Korea on May 24, 2007.[5]
Dawson and his wife will be featured on the WE tv show "Platinum Weddings" which premiered on June 24, 2007.
References
- ^ US skier meets South Korean dad
- ^ Olympian reunites with biological father
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-skorea-dawsonsdad&prov=ap&type=lgns
- ^ American Athlete to Be Reunited With Korean Father
- ^ http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/special_view.asp?newsIdx=3453&categoryCode=178
External links
- Official site
- Toby's U.S. Olympic Team bio ... with two photo galleries
- Korean Claims to Be Biological Father of US Olympic Medalist
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
