Wushu athlete trying to put injury-laden past behind for last hurrah

South Korean wushu athlete Seo Hee-ju arrives at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in Hangzhou, China, Thursday. Yonhap

South Korean wushu athlete Seo Hee-ju entered the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta as a reigning bronze medalist in the women's jianshu and qiangshu event. But after suffering a freak injury, Seo never even got to compete in the Indonesian capital.

While working on some moves some five minutes before her competition, Seo landed awkwardly on her right knee. Seo suffered a torn knee ligament, which immediately ruled her out of the Asian Games and later required two operations.

To this day, thinking about that moment from five years ago rattles Seo. And now 29, Seo is trying her best to stay focused on what will be her final Asian Games here in China.

"I was so devastated because I felt like I was in the prime of my career," Seo told Yonhap News Agency after arriving in Hangzhou, host of the 19th Asian Games, on Thursday. "But I feel I am in even better shape now than back then. I've recovered from the knee injury, and I've been able to regain my confidence along the way."

This will be Seo's fourth Asian Games, and she said this is the most nervous she has felt before an Asiad.

"I think it's because I am that much more desperate this time," Seo said. "Knowing that this will be my last one, I am going to go all in. The goal is obviously to win the gold medal, but more than anything, I want to show everything I've worked for and not get hurt like five years ago."

Seo said having the Asian Games pushed back by one year due to the lingering effects of COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise.

"I am no longer a young pup in wushu, and so I was at first worried about the one-year delay," Seo said. "Until last year, I had some pain left in my knee, and I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself. But I feel so much better now."

Seo said she also wants to help put wushu, a mostly unfamiliar martial arts event for South Korean sports fans, on the map in her native country.

"I am proud of playing the role of an ambassador for wushu," Seo said. "That drives me to work even harder." (Yonhap)