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‘‘That’s the main goal to see that they achieve that,” Kim said last week through a translator.

Kim said he is aware that the workout he will give his students, who range in age from 6 to the mid-60s will be ‘‘very hard and very excessive,” but he said the students were told training would be taken very seriously.

‘‘The basic training is very important at early ages, but I see that the Wheaton club right now does not have that stamina,” Kim said.

Kim, who had earned a gold medal in the 1998 Olympics, may be remembered by sports fans as the man who was disqualified in the 2002 Olympic Games during a controversial race when the referees said Kim blocked U.S. skater Apolo Anton Ohno.

Ohno went on to win the gold medal in that 1,500-meter race and recently gained notoriety by winning the ABC network television show ‘‘Dancing with the Stars.”

Kim, meanwhile, has been training to become an international sports referee since the 2002 Olympics. He has coached in South Korea and now in the United States.

His students are eager to learn from him, noting Kim’s dedication to the sport and the fact that his students not only improve but also win competitions.

Thomas Kim travels from Columbia to skate at the Wheaton Ice Arena at least three times a week. The 14-year-old has been an avid speed skater since he was 7.

‘‘I like him,” said Thomas Kim, who is not related to the coach. ‘‘He’ll create a better practice and a better chance at winning a competition. If you can enjoy this pain, you can enjoy anything.”

The pain Thomas Kim was referring to results from the grueling physical workouts required by the coach. At a recent practice, Dong Sung Kim took a group to an open field near the Wheaton Ice Arena. There he had each student partner up and start squat workouts.

Kim had them do about three sets of 100 to 200 squats each, depending on their skill level. He told his students to note that 6-year-old Brian Rhim of Silver Spring had perfect form. Rhim’s legs were the right distance apart, his ankles and legs made the perfect angle on each squat and he was coming down low without arching his back.

‘‘Ugh, we just got upstaged by a 6-year-old!” said Thomas Kim as the students went back to improve their technique.

From Korea to Wheaton

So how did a sports hero from South Korea end up teaching speed skating in Wheaton?

Kim said he used to practice in-line skating in the summer and speed skating in the winter starting at age 7 in South Korea. He eventually made his way to the Olympics in 1998 and 2002. In 1998, he won a gold medal in the 1,000-meter short-track race and a silver medal in the 5,000-meter short-track relay race.

Soon after the 2002 Olympics, Kim decided to start coaching others while working on his studies. He was able to come to the United States in 2006 and recently relocated from Arizona to West Virginia. He then heard about the opportunity to coach the team in Wheaton.

Because he had a relative in West Virginia, the move was an easy transition for his wife and two children, but he said he would like to eventually move closer. He now commutes from West Virginia to Wheaton at least three times a week to train the team.

The Wheaton Speed Skating Team has had coaches who have gone on to work with the U.S. Speed Skating Team and students who have been ranked and won national championships.

Jim Heo of Laurel, the vice president of the Wheaton club, said when he heard that Kim was in the United States and the club needed a coach, he contacted a friend who had a connection with Dong Sung Kim.

Heo said that the club pays Kim to coach, but would not go into specifics. He did say, however, that Kim puts in a lot of hours on a volunteer basis.

Corliss Wood, president of the Wheaton club, said she and the other parents really wanted Kim to take the students to an elite level.

‘‘This is their sport in [South] Korea,” Wood said. ‘‘Their style of coaching is very disciplined and they strive [to make] their skaters succeed and we’ve seen it.”

Young Kim, a South Korean native, said she was very happy to learn that Dong Sung Kim would be training her son.

‘‘All Korean people know about him, so we’re happy he’s here and we’re looking forward to it,” she said.

Older students say they are equally as excited.

Toussant McCrae, 43, is a competitive runner and personal trainer, but he took up speed skating because he heard it would improve his other passion — bicycle racing.

‘‘I love the team and being in this environment,” McCrae said about the club. ‘‘I’m excited about the new coach.”

Rochel Roland, 46, said that she and McCrae were not the oldest in the group and that she enjoyed being with the different age groups. Roland, who is a photographer, said working with an Olympian like Dong Sung Kim was a great opportunity.

‘‘It’s very exciting. In just the couple of times we’ve worked with him, I’ve learned things,” she said. ‘‘... I feel very fortunate.”

To join the class

The Wheaton Speed Skating Club will offer a beginners class for speed skaters of any age 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Saturday starting June 16 for 10 weeks at the Wheaton Ice Arena, 11717 Orebaugh Ave., Wheaton. Students will be taught by 1998 Olympic gold and silver medallist Dong Sung Kim of South Korea. Students must have some experience on ice before joining. For more information, call 301-879-5220 or 703-894-7129.