Japanese-born judoka has 'no regrets' about decision to represent S. Korea
Jukoda An Chang-rim holds up his bronze medal in the men's under 73-kilogram event at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Monday. Yonhap
As a high-profile third-generation Korean-Japanese, judoka An Chang-rim would love to change negative perceptions about people in his group.
The 27-year-old captured his first Olympic medal on Monday, a bronze medal in the men's 73kg event at the Tokyo Games at Nippon Budokan in the Japanese capital.
Budokan has a special place in An's heart. He was born in Japan to second-generation Korean-Japanese parents and won a national collegiate title at Budokan in 2013.
He had offers to be naturalized as a Japanese citizen but An never gave up on his Korean roots. He began representing South Korea internationally in 2014.
"My university coach at the time asked me if I thought about naturalizing," An said. "But my grandfather and grandmother put their lives on the line to protect our Korean citizenship. I have never once regretted maintaining my Korean citizenship."
He then talked about discrimination he has faced in both countries, saying, "We're called Korean in Japan and Japanese in Korea. There is indeed discrimination.
"I wanted to win an Olympic medal so that I could change perceptions about Korean-Japanese in a positive way," An continued. "I hope I can inspire Korean-Japanese children."
An said he was "honored" to have battled on the mat inside Budokan but added, "Once the competition began, I kept my emotion in check and concentrated as hard as I could."
As for raising the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, inside Budokan during the medal ceremony, An said, "It doesn't mean much to me because it didn't reach the highest place."
If An hadn't lost in the semifinals, he would have clashed with his Japanese nemesis, Shohei Ono, for the gold medal. An has not yet beaten Ono in six meetings.
"I am disappointed that I didn't get to face Ono," An said. "But my goal here wasn't just to compete against Ono. It was to win the gold medal." (Yonhap)