South Korean sledders made a triumphant return home on Wednesday after securing multiple spots at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia.
South Korea will send athletes in skeleton for the fourth consecutive Winter Games. Yun Sung-bin and Lee Han-sin will represent the country, and it marks the first time South Korea will have more than one competitor in Olympic skeleton.
In bobsleigh, South Korea will have two teams each in the two-man and the four-man events, and one team in the two-woman competition. Sochi will be the second straight Winter Games in which South Korea will compete in bobsleigh.
For both men's bobsleigh events, Won Yun-jong and Kim Dong-hyun will be the pilots. Kim Sun-ok is the pilot in the women's event.
Under the qualification rules, athletes earn their Olympic berths based on world rankings by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT).
In bobsleigh, male pilots must be inside the top 50, and female pilots must have ranked among the top 40 as of Jan. 20 this year.
Won ranked 18th in the two-man standings, and 22nd in the four-man standings. Kim was 22nd in the two-man and 39th in the four-man rankings.
Kim Sun-ok ranked 29th in her discipline.
To qualify for skeleton in Sochi, male athletes must be among the top 60 as of Jan. 20, too. Yun and Lee were at 20th and 37th, respectively.
Fresh off victories at international competitions such as the North American Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, the sledders said the key to their Olympic races will be their starts.
According to Lee Yong, head coach of the bobsleigh team, South Koreans' best starts could put them among the top five and that they are only about 0.05 to 0.08 second behind the fastest team. Compared to the speedy track in Vancouver four years ago, the track at Sochi's Sanki Sliding Center will not be as challenging, the coach added.
Won, the leading pilot, said such conditions could work in favor of the South Korean teams that lack the savvy and driving techniques of more experienced teams.
"Because it is an ordinary track, the difference will come down to how much speed we can build from the start, rather than driving skills," Won said.
South Korean sledders aren't expected to contend for medals in Sochi, but if they develop at the current rate, they might be able to reach the podium at the next Winter Olympics in South Korea's PyeongChang.
Lee, who competed in luge in Vancouver, said his athletes shouldn't hold themselves back.
"I tell them, 'Why wait until PyeongChang?'" Lee said. "I haven't given them specific goals to reach because I think all kinds of possibilities are open."
The sledders will be part of South Korea's largest-ever Winter Olympics delegation.
Through Tuesday, 64 South Korean athletes have qualified for Sochi, up from the previous-high of 48 at the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002.
South Korea will be represented in six sports and 13 disciplines. According to officials here, more athletes could earn spots in bobsleigh, luge and ski jumping. (Yonhap)