Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Korean athletes, fans now value passion, effort over medals
Korean women's table tennis team player Shin Yu-bin, right, performs a forehand attack in the round of 16 of the Olympics at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Monday. Yonhap
By Lee Min-hyung
Olympics, it's not all about winning or losing
By Lee Min-hyung
Korean athletes who fail to win Olympic medals can usually expect to see their names cursed and dragged through the mud, but the usual online defamation seems to be at an all-time low during the 2020 Olympics.
As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, Team Korea was ranked 12th in terms of the medal count, three notches lower than the final tally of the previous Olympics in 2016. Korean athletes have so far clinched 19 medals ― including six golds.
But it appears that the nation's medal tally is not as important to Korean fans as it used to be, with those who failed to earn gold medals still receiving respect for fighting hard to the very end.
Wrestler Ryu Han-su speaks with officials at Incheon International Airport after returning home from the 2020 Olympics in Japan, Thursday. Yonhap
Wrestler Ryu Han-su made headlines Tuesday after losing to Egypt's Mohamed Ibrahim El-Sayed in the round of 16 of the men's Greco-Roman 67-kilogram event. Korea has for decades been a powerhouse in Olympic wrestling, winning at least one medal in each Summer Olympics since 1976, but it failed to extend its medal-earning record in Tokyo.
A grief-stricken Ryu shed tears after his failed advance into the quarterfinal, and his post-match interview touched many fans here, many of whom delivered messages of encouragement for his passion in the competition.
“I am sorry (for my defeat),” he told reporters with a tearful voice, after crying for about two minutes. “This was my last Olympic competition, so I did not want to leave any regrets. I focused on the match by keeping in mind that I could do it, but the result was not satisfactory enough.”
High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok makes a salute during a meeting with reporters in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok also grabbed the public's attention after finishing fourth in the men's high jump final. He narrowly missed an opportunity to stand on the podium, but his smiling face has left a strong impression on the public here.
“I am trained to be in a good mood, as I can perform better when I feel good,” he said upon returning to Korea, Tuesday. “I have nothing to lose, so I enjoyed it. My competitors were higher-ranked players… so I enjoyed the games.”
Woo stood at the center of attention here after clearing 2.35 meters in the final. As Korean athletes have in the past failed to stand out in the Olympic event, Woo's surprising advance into the final round raised hopes that Team Korea might be able to clinch a historic gold.
The women's table tennis team also enjoyed a great deal of attention after its narrow defeat against Germany in the quarterfinal.
The three-member team went to Japan, hoping to score the country's first Olympic medal in 13 years for the sport, since the 2008 Olympics.
Shin Yu-bin, aged 17, expressed her frustration after the match, and in particular her regret over her weak performance in the team match. But thousands of messages of support for the team flooded the internet following the match, spurring the national team to keep moving on to the next Olympics.
Swimmer Hwang Sun-woo, who set multiple national records in men's swimming, ended up with no medals, but he has emerged as a new rising teenage swimming star, after showing his strong growth potential.