misc.
Personal
- 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
Active- (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 least three times a week at University Avenue CrossFit
CrossFit Open 2026
| Workout | Description | Score | My Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26.1 | 12-min cap: Wall balls (20 lb) & box jump-overs (24") pyramid — 20-30-40-66-40-30-20 wall balls w/ 18 box jump-overs or med-ball box step-overs between | 191 reps [Rx'd] | 47 wall balls into round of 66 (Tiebreak: 8:02) |
| 26.2 | 15-min cap: 3 rounds of 80-ft DB OH lunge, 20 alt. DB snatches (50 lb), pull-ups escalating (20 pull-ups → 20 C2B → 20 ring muscle-ups) | 75 reps [Rx'd] | 1 round + 80-ft DB lunge, 20 DB snatches, 7 C2B pull-ups (Tiebreak: 14:14) |
| 26.3 | 16-min cap: 3 phases × 2 rounds of 12 burpees over bar, 12 cleans, 12 burpees over bar, 12 thrusters — ascending weight (95/115/135 lb) | 120 reps [Rx'd] | 2 rounds @ 95 lb + 12 burpees over bar, 12 cleans @ 115 lb (Tiebreak: 12:25) |
Running
- Previously on and off with long runs and interval training.
- (01/2026 - 04/2026) Running 2-3 times per week, training for the Illinois Marathon 10K!
Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon 10K (04/2026)
Finished in 57:18 (9:14/mile avg pace) — 343rd/1,639 overall, 229th/639 by gender, 41st/103 in M 25-29
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).