- Toby Dawson
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 abronze medal at the2006 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. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6403539.stm US skier meets South Korean dad] ] Dawson has stated his intent to start a foundation, named after his birth name, to prevent such cases in the future. [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/28/skorea.dawson.ap/index.html Olympian reunites with biological father] ] [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-skorea-dawsonsdad&prov=ap&type=lgns Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more ] ] 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. [ [http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2907302 American Athlete to Be Reunited With Korean Father] ]Marriage
Dawson was married in a ceremony in Korea on May 24, 2007. [ [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/special_view.asp?newsIdx=3453&categoryCode=178 Former US Olympic Skier Weds in Korean Style(The Korea Times) ] ]
Dawson and his wife will be featured on the WE tv show "Platinum Weddings" which premiered on June 24, 2007.
References
External links
* [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_43218.htm Toby's U.S. Olympic Team bio] ... with two photo galleries
* [http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200602/kt2006022016430411950.htm Korean Claims to Be Biological Father of US Olympic Medalist]
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