Wrestler wins gold at Asiad, beats trauma

South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler Ryu Han-su bites his gold medal from the men's 67kg category at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta Convention Center Assembly Hall in Jakarta, Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Kang Aa-young

South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler Ryu Han-su has won the gold two times in a row at the Asian Games, slowly recovering from the traumatic memory of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. He was then a gold medal favorite but failed to even win a medal.

“Winning a gold at the Asian Games is good, but my dream is to win a gold at the Olympics,” Ryu said after winning gold at Jakarta, Tuesday.

He revealed his aspirations for a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I would spend my time in the mountains as if I'm there to gain spiritual enlightenment, to chase my dream of winning an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,” he said.

As a young boy, Ryu spent his time rolling and tumbling on a mat. The coach of the wrestling team took notice of him when he was in the ninth grade. He threw his heart into sports and soon stood out as a young wrestler, distinguished by his audacity and fighting spirit.

But things got tougher as he entered the senior league. Ryu joined the Korean National Training Center in 2008 but only as a wrestling training partner. He saw Team Korea off on a journey to London for the Olympics in 2012.

A year later, he finally rose to stardom from obscurity, winning the 2013 world championship, followed by the Asian Games gold medal in 2014 and Asian championship in 2015. He became a strong gold medal contender for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics along with his Greco-Roman teammate, Kim Hyeon-woo. They won titles together at the 2013 world championships, 2014 Asian Games and 2015 Asian championships.

Despite both being chosen as gold medal favorites for the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olympics, Ryu failed to even win a medal, losing in the bronze medal match to Rasul Chunayev of Azerbaijan. Kim ended up getting the bronze. Ryu was so frustrated with his defeat, he burst into tears after his match.

Greco-Roman wrestler Ryu Han-su poses with the national flag after winning a gold medal in the men's 67kg category at the 18th Asian Games at the Jakarta Convention Center Assembly Hall, Tuesday. / Yonhap

Two years have passed and at the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games, Ryu defeated Kazakhstan's Almat Kebispayev 5-4 in the men's 67kg Greco-Roman wrestling final Tuesday, picking up another gold.

The gold medal at Asiad helped him get over the bad memory of his loss at Rio, but there is still a long way to go, Ryu said.

The 30-year-old has been chasing that dream, but had a tough time practicing.

Aiming for his longtime dream of winning Olympic gold, he said he will work even harder, even though his training is already extreme.

“I'm not scared of getting hurt,” Ryu added.

Ryu suffered an elbow injury recently, which affected his performance, as he couldn't properly move both hands. He said, however, he overcame it with his fighting spirit and positive energy.

“I would like to thank my teammate Kim Hyeon-woo, who has always been there for me,” Ryu said. His teammate Kim is also a medal hopeful for Asiad. He competed for the gold last night in the 77kg category.

“I will help him like a personal trainer for the upcoming event,” he added.