2024-07-27 01:22:31
[PARiS 2024]
Standing tall as ‘World Class’ in 3 years… 5 Taegeuk Warriors
An Se-young “Paris line smiles and celebrates”… Hwang Seon-woo transforms into a player with good stamina
Shin Yu-bin “No matter who I face, I will do my best in my game”… Seo Chae-hyun “First medal” Yeo Seo-jeong “This time, gold”
They were in their teens when they had to return from Tokyo three years ago with their heads down. Passion and passion alone were not enough to achieve their dreams. Now in their 20s, they have grown into the aces of the Korean national team in each event at the Paris Olympics. They have also completed all preparations to turn Tokyo’s tears into Paris’ cheers. Now, all that is left is time to fly high as a world-class player.
Badminton women’s singles world number one ‘shuttlecock genius’ Ahn Se-young (22) has only one goal in this competition: a gold medal. After losing to Chen Yufei (26, China) in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Games three years ago, Ahn wiped away tears and said, “I think I’m still lacking.” Chen Yufei, who eventually won the gold medal at the Tokyo Games, was an opponent that Ahn Se-young had faced five times before and had never beaten.
However, in the 15 matches since then, Ahn Se-young has the upper hand with 8 wins and 7 losses. In particular, in the final match of the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, Chen Weifei’s hometown, she won despite suffering from a right knee injury. Ahn Se-young said, “I think I have a 70% advantage over Chen Weifei,” and vowed, “I will show the ceremony with a smile and not a cry in Paris.”
Hwang Seon-woo (21), the ‘signboard’ of Korean swimming, is challenging for Korea’s first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m freestyle. Hwang Seon-woo set a new Korean record (1 minute 44.62 seconds) in the preliminaries for this event at the Tokyo Games three years ago. He also reached the halfway point with a world record pace in the finals, but finished 7th with a final time of 1 minute 45.53 seconds. The reason for his failure was cited as his inability to control his pace due to lack of experience.
Now, he has transformed into a player with great stamina, such as winning a comeback with 10m left to finish in the final of the World Aquatics Championships this year. He also won a gold medal in this event at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, as well as six medals (two gold, two silver, and two bronze). Hwang Sun-woo, who is currently checking his condition at the La Defense Arena, the stage for this Olympics, expressed his confidence, saying, “I am excited when I see the swimming pool. I want to compete quickly.”
‘Ppyak-ee’ Shin Yu-bin (20, table tennis) is also determined to become a ‘chicken’ in Paris. Shin Yu-bin, who was eliminated in the round of 32 in the women’s singles and the quarterfinals in the team event at the Tokyo Games, has the important task of participating in the individual singles, mixed doubles, and team events, which is the only Korean table tennis player participating in this tournament.
Among them, the mixed doubles with Lim Jong-hoon (27) is considered the most likely to win a medal. If she advances to the semifinals, she will likely face the world’s strongest Chinese team, but Shin Yu-bin is not worried. Shin Yu-bin said, “I don’t know what the results will be at the Olympics. I just have to do my best in my game no matter who I face.”
‘Spider Man’ Seo Chae-hyun (21, sports climbing) is also challenging the medal dream that she was unable to achieve in Tokyo. There are three sub-events in sports climbing: lead, bouldering, and speed. Seo Chae-hyun made a mistake in her main event, lead, during the Tokyo Olympics finals, and her ranking fell from 3rd to 8th.
In this competition, Seo Chae-hyun’s weakest skill, speed, is included as a separate event, so she is more likely to win a medal. Seo Chae-hyun said, “In Tokyo, there were no spectators, so the atmosphere itself was depressed, so I felt a lot of pressure. In Paris, I think it will be more comfortable because I can compete in a fun atmosphere.”
‘God’s Daughter’ Yeo Seo-jeong (22, gymnastics) wrote a diary that started with ‘My dad didn’t win the Olympic gold medal’ when she was in the second grade of elementary school. Yeo Seo-jeong, the daughter of ‘God of the Jumping Horse’ Yeo Hong-cheol (53), a professor at Kyunghee University and silver medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, is challenging for the Olympic gold medal once again in Paris. Yeo Seo-jeong returned from the Tokyo Games with a bronze medal in the women’s jumping horse.
This time, they can aim for several medals. The women’s gymnastics team has qualified for the Olympic team event for the first time in 36 years. Yeo Seo-jeong, the eldest member of the team and the captain, said, “I feel more pressure than in Tokyo, but I will enjoy the competition with my teammates.”
Paris = Reporter Kang Hong-gu [email protected]
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2024-07-27 01:22:31