The sun shines on the main Olympic stadium in London in this Jan. 21, 2011 file photo. Korean athletes will be competing to win 10 gold medals to reach the top 10 at the 2012 Summer Games, which will run from July 27 and Aug. 12. / AP-Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

“The sketch has been nicely done. I need to just color it right,” said Korea’s star swimmer Park Tae-hwan said after winning four medals in Santa Clara Monday. The color here is gold, as the 2008 gold medalist in the 200 meters freestyle looks to become a repeat winner. Park is one of the strongest medal hopefuls for Korea, as preparations goes down to the wire for the 2012 London Summer Games scheduled to open on July 27.

Thursday marks the 50-day countdown to the opening. With more than 10,000 athletes from 203 countries competing in 300 events, Korea’s expectations for the forthcoming event is to win 10 gold medals to reach the top 10, the so called 10-10 project. With U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise of “the greatest show on earth,” the Korean national team are still making painstaking efforts day and night at the National Training Center to be the heroes and heroines of the show in England’s capital.

Korea is traditionally strong in archery, taekwondo, and judo, anticipating more than one gold medal in each. For these Games, Im Dong-hyun, Cha Dong-min, and Kim Jae-bum are seeking to top the Olympic podium. To successfully accomplish the goal of the 10-10 project, their roles are critical. However, many athletes that this reporter has seen over the past two months look similarly determined and are optimistic for the upcoming sporting festival.

“I will win the gold medal to promote our national glory in London,” taekwondo practitioner Cha Dong-min said in a confident tone at the National Training Center in Taeneung.

Badminton, swimming, shooting, wrestling, fencing and weightlifting have also raised hope as areas for success. As gold medalists at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Lee Yong-dae, Park Tae-hwan and Jin Jong-oh are looking to repeat their Olympic glory. When this reporter visited the center, the national wrestling team coach An Han-bong was rolling around the sweat-wet mat with wrestlers, eyes glaring.









“This time, our goal is to win two gold medals, which I think is highly possible,” An said.

While some sports receive more attentions than others, rising stars such as Son Yeon-jae in gymnastics and Cho Ho-sung in cycling are now making a final burst to surprise fans in London.

“Good result will come out,” judo practitioner Wang Ki-choon said.