Korean midfielder Kook Han Young set a new Qatar Stars League (QSL) record for the highest distance covered in a single match (over the last four seasons) when he ran an incredible 14km in the round 11 away clash at Al Wakrah.
The details of the Qatar Sports Club player’s record were provided by Prozone, the league’s sole statistical provider.
In layman’s terms, Kook Han Young approximately ran from his club in Al Dafna to Aspire Academy, on the outskirts of Doha, in that match against Wakrah.
In general, midfielders run the longest on the pitch as they often have to cover the most ground, but even by their very high standards, the Korean certainly out-did himself this time.
So far this season, the average distance covered by midfielders in the league is around 11km, which gives an indication of the Korean midfielder’s work rate.
Football consists of a large physiological demand on the human body. Muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, speed, quickness, agility, power, flexibility; the list goes on and on. While many think of football as a predominantly aerobic sport, in reality, it is the opposite.
An average QSL midfielder makes 37 lung-busting sprints, not to mention the explosive leaps into the air and the lunging tackles; all of which are done with very little recovery time.