Olympic Snowboarder, 37, Mentors 52 Korean Students

At 37 years old, Kim Sang-kyum made history at the Milano-Cortina Olympics as the oldest Winter Olympic medalist ever, earning silver in snowboard parallel giant slalom. Now he's using that platform to light a fire in the next generation.

On July 9, Kim met with 52 middle and high school students from Incheon at a special sports career camp. The students, recruited on a first-come basis, erupted in cheers when the Olympic hero walked into Gyeongin National University of Education.

Kim titled his talk "A Player Who May Be Slow but Never Gives Up." He shared stories from his childhood in rural Bongpyeong, Gangwon Province, where he competed in wrestling, track and field, and volleyball before finding snowboarding in high school.

"I had many failures, but I never gave up," Kim told the packed room. "After Sochi 2014, I competed in four more Olympics, living by the mindset that if I kept going until the end, I would ultimately win."

The athlete let every single student hold his silver medal, passing on what he calls "victory energy." He also gave each one a snowboard-signed keyring that he paid for himself.

His journey resonated deeply with students facing their own crossroads. Park Jeong-bin, 16, said his parents oppose his dream of pursuing physical education, but Kim's resilience gave him courage to keep trying.

Ji Sung-su, 16, a former youth soccer player, found new motivation in Kim's core message: never giving up leads to winning everything. Two students even took a ferry from nearby Daecheong Island just to attend the camp.

Why This Inspires

Kim's story proves that Olympic glory doesn't require being the youngest or fastest. His two-decade journey to the podium shows students that perseverance matters more than prodigies, that falling down 100 times means nothing if you get up 101 times.

Despite finally achieving his Olympic dream, Kim isn't stopping. He started ground training in Pyeongchang and heads to Switzerland on July 15 for training camp, still chasing his first gold medal at the World Cup and World Championships.

The camp also featured career guidance sessions showing students the wide world of sports professions beyond competing. From coaching to sports administration, experts opened young eyes to possibilities they never knew existed.

Kim admitted he felt more nervous giving his second-ever public talk than competing at the Olympics, but his introvert nature didn't stop him from showing up for these kids.