misc.

Personal

• I was born and reared in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin, China, where the Korean-Chinese community lives.
• I am a Korean-Chinese (a.k.a Koreans in China)
• My name in Chinese: 崔 健; My name in Korean: 최 건

Fitness Journey

I've always been a sports enthusiast. My fitness motto is "Run faster than lifter, lift heavier than runner"

• CrossFit — My all-time favorite

  • (03/2023 - 06/2023) Started CrossFit at We Crossfit Yangjae
  • (06/2023 - 11/2024) On the lookout for a good box to get back into it.
  • (11/2024 - 03/2025) Returned to the box (Hoosier CrossFit)!
  • (03/2025 - 06/2025) Dealt with a shoulder "injury" (mainly inflammation and calcification)
  • (06/2025 - ) Training at lesat three times a week at University Avenue CrossFit

  CrossFit Open 2026

  Workout	Score	Details
  25.1	191 reps [Rx'd]	20 wall balls, 18 box jump overs, 30 wall balls, 18 box jump overs, 40 wall balls, 18 med ball box step overs, 47 wall balls (Tiebreak: 8:02)
  25.2	75 reps [Rx'd]	1 round + 80-ft DB lunge, 20 DB snatches, 7 C2B pull-ups (Tiebreak: 14:14)

• Running

  • Previously on and off with long runs and interval training.
  • (01/2026 - ) Running 2-3 times per week, training for the Illinois Marathon 10K!

• Soccer — Been playing since I could walk

  • It became more sporadic after 2019, following my "retirement" from KIFC (KAIST International Football Club). Sometimes I played "fun" futsal with KAIST EE graduate students.
  • (09/2025 - 12/2025) Played once a week with UIUC CFA.

• Climbing

  • (06/2022 - 03/2023) Started Bouldering at Yangjae The Climb
  • (03/2023) Not as often as before, just sometimes go tackle the wall when I got time (mainly after paper ddl).
  • (09/2025 - ) Sometimes climbing at ARC UIUC when time allows.

• Swimming

  • (12/2023 - ) Mainly sticking to breaststroke...
  • (09/2025 - ) Currently working on improving my backstroke and freestyle technique.

• Weight Training

  • (01/2023 - 11/2024) Went to the gym regularly.
  • (11/2024) Focus shifted to CrossFit.
  • (06/2025 - ) Mainly using it for active recovery sessions when needed.

Volunteer Activities

• From August 2016 to August 2018, I worked as a student assistant in the student life team at KAIST.
• I worked as a Korean language tutor for international students (KAIST Language Center) in August 2018.
• I worked as a translator for KAIST at the Smart China Expo in Chongqing, China (August 2018).

Student Club Activities

• I served as the president of KAIST International Football Club (KIFC) from Aug. 2015 to Aug. 2017
• I was a member of KAIST EE Futsal Club (September 2016 to August 2017).