Lee Sang-hwa, left and Lee Seung-hoon, right, pose during an interview in the National Training Center in Seoul last month.
/ Korea Times Photos by Yoon Chul |
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
Ever since Korea began competing at the Winter Olympics, short track speed skating has accounted for the vast majority of its medal haul. But a highly-touted long track team with several skaters on the rise is threatening to make Korea a double threat in speed skating. The team includes a group of solid veterans coming into form that's poised to add to Korea's all time total of one silver and one bronze medal in the sport.
Long track speed skating is a sport that favors Western athletes because absolute power and height are paramount. But Japan was the first Asian country to emerge as a force in the sport and Korea has followed in becoming competitive with the best.
 And many, including Korean speed skating team head coach Kim Kwan-kyu, are predicting that these games will see a Korean breakthrough.
"I think there's a really good chance that we could earn more than one gold medal," he predicted. "I'm not sure we'll ever have a team as talented as this one that will compete at the Vancouver Olympics."
Going for Gold
The top Korean gold medal favorites are Lee Kyou-hyuk and Turin Olympic bronze medalist Lee Kang-seok.
"In my mind, I'm always thinking of one color," Kyou-hyuk said. "I've been to the Olympics five times and I am definitely not proud of what I accomplished there. The reason I keep coming back is because I haven't achieved what I really want."
What Kyou-hyuk is longing for is that elusive gold medal. The Korean press has raised concerns about his stamina because the veteran is now 31. But Lee and his coach say the gold medal hopeful has no injuries and is ready physically to compete.
"Since Lee started racing and practicing, I've never felt that he was struggling physically," Kim said.
The Korean speed skating captain has proven himself of late with three World Cup victories, one second place and a third place-finish in the men's 500 meters under his belt along with two second-place finishes in the 1000 meters.
Lee Kang-seok, meanwhile, has only one win but leads the World Cup standings in the 500 meters with a gold, two silvers and a bronze. He has come on strong during the World Cup season in November and December despite having an appendectomy in May. The 24-year-old spent a few months in rehabilitation and came into form just in time for the World Cup and won the first race of the season in Berlin.
"It was really hard mentally lying in bed after the surgery during the season while my teammates were training," Lee Kang-seok said. "While I was in rehabilitation, I tried to think positively and ignored any aftereffects of the surgery.
"I did well at my first Olympics. That means it puts greater expectations on me. But it also makes me aim higher. And I'm going to do all I can to do better than I did four years ago."
Kim says the two Lees are models for their teammates. "Their mental strength in practices and races is definitely one level higher than the others. They have trained really hard and raced hard and maintained their conditioning well. I hope their other teammates learn from them," Kim said.
New Medal Candidate: Lee Sang-hwa
Lee Kang-seok and Lee Kyou-hyuk are not the only ones who will challenge for medals. There are a few others who could climb the podium in Vancouver, including 20-year-old Lee Sang-hwa, who has been among the best skaters in the world in the women's 500 meters this year.
The event has been dominated by Germany's Jenny Wolf and China's Beixing Wang, who have placed first and second in every World Cup race this year. Lee was the only skater to break that dominance when she tied with Wang for second in Calgary, Canada,
It will be Lee's second Olympics ― she placed fifth in Turin at age 16 - and she looks to be heading into form at the right time with three bronzes and a silver in her last four races.
"In the first and second World Cups I didn't skate well because there was a lot of pressure on me," Lee said. "But after that I skated comfortably and generated good results."
Lee's biggest weakness is her starts.
"If she's 0.2 seconds late on her start, the margin between her and the winner will be that same 0.2 seconds," Kim explained.
Lee agreed with Kim but believes she has other areas she can improve as well.
"I have to adjust my weight shifting at the finish," the sprinter explained.
She knows there are only minor adjustments to be made, because the margins between her and the top two are quite slim. But she looks to be closing the gap.
But Lee's real strength lies in her power. Kim says she can squat 160 kilograms.
"That's more than some of the guys on the national team," said the coach.
Because she is so far ahead of the rest of women on the team, she trains with the men instead.
"I have skated with the men's team. They gave me a lot of support," she said.
"I have been moving forward with only one goal. And I've finally come to this point. I hope something good will happen to me (at the Olympics)."
The Quicker Learner: Lee Seung-hoon
The latest skater to make an impact on the long track scene here is Lee Seung-hoon who has surprised many for his smooth transition from short track to long track.
Lee made the move after he failed to make the short track team and began training in the long distance 5,000 meters.
"At first it seemed like a good choice," said Lee. "I liked short track and when I beat others the feeling was really awesome. That is the attraction of short track. But long track has a different appeal."
"Speed skating is a battle with yourself. You don't need to think about anything, you just keep focusing on your own skating. When I was a short track skater, I had to constantly worry about all the other skaters during the race."
"I feel very comfortable when I race in this new sport," he explained.
"The reason I chose the 5,000 meters, not the 500 or 1,500 meters is because my strength is stamina and my weakness is quickness," he explained.
Just one year after joining the team, Lee is on his way to the Olympics to race in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
"His improvement has been rapid. Other countries' coaches and skaters find the speed of Seung-hoon's improvement remarkable," coach Kim said.
Lee said the training for short track is more grueling.
"To be honest it's very difficult physically. The training is really tremendous and that experience has made me who I am."
"To keep my advantage, I've continued doing belt training, which I started doing when I was a short track athlete. I feel that I would just be an average skater if I quit that training."
On the smaller ice surface of short track, speed through the tight turns is more important. It's a strength Lee says he has brought with him.
"When I saw other countries' international skaters race in the corners, I thought they looked like beginners," Lee said. "I don't want to criticize others, but compared to short trackers the long track skater's skill on the corner is low," added Lee.
Kim addressed this by sending the long trackers out for practice on the small ice for a little cross training.
"We did short track training for a few weeks," said Kim. "I think sometimes it gives you an advantage, but this time we failed." "The benefit in doing short track is you race like a short tracker. But we did it with only long track skaters, so they raced like long trackers on a short track circuit."
Lee Seung-hoon knows that endurance and stamina are his strengths and the longer the distance, the better he'd be.
"I envy Westerners for their absolute power and speed. I'm not that tall," the 1.78-meter Korean said, "but I'm proud of my stamina. If there were a 20,000-meter event, I guarantee that I'd win it."
"There is no one to threaten him in Asia," said Kim. "Because his personal records continue to drop, it's going to make him work even harder."
Meanwhile, Mo Tae-bum has finished in the top 7 in all four 1,000-meter races, including one third-place finish and is actually in second place in the World Cup standings. Mun Joon is 11th in the 500-meter standings and eighth in the 1000 meters and the pair are dark horse medal hopes.
"I have skated for a long time, but I haven't gotten any great results," said Mun Joon, who will be appearing at his third Olympics. "I want to achieve something at these Olympics."
"Joon skates well sometimes but his problems are mental," coach Kim said. "This time he has strong confidence and if he concentrates he will do well."
Mo says these Olympics could be his best opportunity and he knows a medal is within his reach.
"I'm not sure I'll get another chance like this," he said. "I want to do my best so I have no regrets."
Fans Will Be Watching
In preparation for competition, Kim has his skaters training just as they will race.
"At the National Training Center in Taeneung, they have trained wearing only their underwear and their skating uniform. Even under the cold circumstances, they are sweating for Olympic glory," says Kim.
Korea is still looking for its first gold medal in a sport other than short track and while figure skater Kim Yu-na is a good bet to win one, the first could come in speed skating in the men's 500 meters which takes place on Feb. 15.
"The most competitive event is definitely the 500 meters," Kim said. "There are about five contenders in the world for the gold medal against our aces Lee Kyou-hyouk and Lee Kang-seok."
Finland's Mika Poutala, American Tucker Fredericks and Japan's Keiichiro Nagashima and Joji Kato all have wins in the 500 meters but all trail the two Lees in the standings.
Kyou-hyuk seems almost tormented by the gold that has eluded him for so long.
"I have a lot of regrets from the last four Olympics. I don't want to lament any more," he said.
Meanwhile, the team is hoping for a major breakthrough for Lee Sang-hwa.
"In the women's division there are two superior skaters (Wolf and Wang), but Sang-hwa has closed the gap a lot. In this sport, the difference can be a (one-hundredth) of a second. One very tiny mistake can change the color of the medal," Kim continued.
With several hopefuls, fans will be watching the long trackers more than ever before. And with that will come pressure.
"We are really doing our best. I really hope the fans cheer us on regardless of whether we win gold, silver or bronze," Kim said.
yc@koreatimes.co.kr
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