Mark Kwok (swimmer)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mark Kwok Kin Ming | ||||||||||||
| National team |
 Hong Kong
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| Born |
20 June 1977 Laguna Hills, California, United States |
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| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle, butterfly, medley | ||||||||||||
| Club | HYFCO Travel Agency | ||||||||||||
| College team | University of Southern California (U.S.) | ||||||||||||
| Coach | Mark Schubert (U.S.) | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Mark Kwok Kin Ming (also Kwok Kin Ming, Chinese: 郭建明; pinyin: Guō Jiànmíng; Jyutping: gwok3 gin3 ming4; born June 20, 1977) is a Hong Kong former swimmer, who specialized in middle-distance freestyle but also competed in butterfly and individual medley. He is a two-time Olympian (1996 and 2000), and a bronze medalist at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. He also holds numerous Hong Kong records in 200, 400, and 800 m freestyle, and retains a dual resident status to compete internationally for his father's homeland. While studying in the United States, Kwok has competed for the USC Trojans, and has received four All-American honors at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in four consecutive seasons.
Kwok was born in Laguna Hills, California by a Hong Kong father and an American mother, giving him a distinct, blond-haired and blue-eyed feature, and a dual residential status. He started swimming at the age of four, when his mother sent him in a small local club: "I loved it. I never wanted to get out of the water, whether it was in the pool or at the beach. I guess I took to the water right away." During his early childhood, Kwok learned the essentials of competitive swimming, and then moved on to South Coast Aquatics, where the workouts and skills became more challenging for him. After South Coast Aquatics ceased operations, Kwok joined in numerous small clubs until he finally settled with the Mission Viejo Nadadores under head coach Terry Stoddard.
Kwok attended Laguna Hills High School, where he played for the swimming team, and achieved senior national marks in the 200 and 400 m individual medley, and in the long-distance freestyle (400 and 1500 m). He also earned the Laguna Hills High Academic Achievement Award and U.S. Swimming Scholastic All-American Award for his continuous success in the sport, received all-league honors, and became one of the school's top students in an academic roll with a 4.02 grade-point average. James Birch is credited as a personal inspiration for Mark Kwok.
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