‘No gold’ Tokyo disaster Taekwondo, will it save its status as a suzerain country? ‘Medal field’ judo, a golden match at Hangzhou AG
The opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG), the ‘festival of 4.7 billion Asians’, is four days away. The Taegeuk Warriors head to Hangzhou with the goal of finishing in third place. Among them, Taekwondo, a leading sport in the Asian Games as the home country, is seeking to restore its reputation through Hangzhou AG.
Taekwondo announced its status as a leading country by winning five gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. However, at the Tokyo Olympics, he failed to win a single gold medal and suffered the humiliation of ‘no gold’. In this year’s Hangzhou AG, he will regain his pride and challenge himself with golden kicks once again. There are a total of 13 gold medals in Taekwondo at this competition.
Jang Jun (Korea Gas Corporation) in the men’s 58kg class, considered the next-generation ace, is aiming for the gold medal. In addition, Jin Ho-jun (Suwon City Hall), who is called ‘post-Lee Dae-hoon’ in the men’s 68kg class, and Kim Yu-jin (Ulsan City Sports Council), who won the bronze medal in the women’s 57kg class at the first Rome Grand Prix last June, are on the hunt for gold. They all expressed their determination, saying, “We will do our best at the competition with a sense of responsibility as national representatives of the country that is home to Taekwondo.”
In addition, the Taekwondo event in this year’s Hangzhou Games will also feature a mixed team competition with four athletes, two each male and two male. Korea’s team of Park Woo-hyuk, Seo Geon-woo (Korea National Sport University), Kim Jan-di (Samsung S-One), and Lee Da-bin (Seoul City Hall) is aiming for the championship. Kang Wan-jin (Hongcheon County Office) and Cha Ye-eun (Kyung Hee University) will participate in the individual Poomsae men’s and women’s competition안전놀이터.
Judo, which is considered a ‘medal field’ along with Taekwondo, will also challenge for a ‘golden bout’. Hangzhou AG’s Korean Judo Taegeuk Warriors include Lee Ha-rim (Korea Racing Association) in the men’s 60kg class, Baul An (Namyangju City Hall) in the 66kg class, Heoncheol Kang (Yongin City Hall) in the 73kg class, Junhwan Lee (Yongin University) in the 81kg class, and Juyeop Han (90kg class). Korea Racing Authority), Won Jong-hoon (Yangpyeong-gun Office) in the 100kg class, and Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong-gun Office) in the 100kg+ class will participate.
The women’s division includes 48kg class Lee Hye-kyung (Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation), 57kg class Park Eun-song (Donghae City Hall), 63kg class Kim Ji-jeong (Suncheon City Hall), 70kg class Han Hee-ju (KH Group), 78kg class Yoon Hyun-ji (Ansan City Hall), Kim Ha-yoon (Ansan City Hall), who weighs 78 kg or more, will participate. In the women’s 52kg class, Park Da-sol (Suncheon City Hall), who initially secured the right to compete, returned the Taegeuk mark due to physical condition issues, and Jeong Ye-rin (Incheon City Hall) was selected. Athletes participating in the team event include Lee Eun-gyeol (Yongin University) in the men’s 73kg class, Lee Seong-ho (Korea Racing Association) in the men’s 90kg class, and Heo Mi-mi (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) in the women’s 57kg class who will participate in the Asian Games.
In particular, An Baul, a leading figure in Korean judo, is aiming for his second consecutive Asian Games victory. Paul Ahn, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has maintained his position without wavering despite the successive retirements and slumps of his fellow athletes. Attention is focused on whether An Baul will be able to establish the pride of Korean Judo by achieving his second consecutive Asian Games victory in this year’s Hangzhou AG.