Seoul, Korea, December 16, 2021: Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min has been named Korea’s top athlete for the fifth straight year in a national poll, Yonhap News reports.
Gallup Korea announced the findings of its annual survey on athletes on Monday, December 13. In a poll of 1,700 South Koreans over the age of 13 from November 5-28, Son earned overwhelming support of 72.8 percent as the top Korean athlete for 2021. Respondents could select up to two athletes.
Son, Asian Games champion with Korea in Indonesia in 2018, has developed into one of the Premier League's most dangerous attackers. He established a new Premier League career high last season with 17 goals in 37 matches. In 51 games across all competitions, Son netted 22 goals, also his career best.
So far in the 2021-2022 season, Son has a team-high six goals in 13 Premier League games.
Volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung finished a distant second to Son at 29.4 percent.
Kim captained South Korea through an improbable march to the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics in August, inspiring the volleyball-loving nation with her performances on the court and leadership off the court.
Another Olympic star ranked third, with An San earning 10.4 percent of support. The 20-year-old archer swept up a hat trick of gold medals in the women's individual, women's team and mixed team events in Tokyo, becoming the first South Korean triple gold medalist at a Summer Olympics.
Toronto Blue Jays' starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin came in at fourth with 9.1 percent. An San's partner in the mixed team event, Kim Je-deok, ranked fifth at 4.1 percent.