Korean fencing coach receives IOC lifetime achievement award

Chang Tae-suk, right, then head coach of the Korean national women's epee fencing team and members of the Korean national women's epee fencing team and celebrate after winning the gold medal over Hong Kong at the Asian Games at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China, Sept. 27. Yonhap

Chang Tae-suk, former head coach of the Korean national women's epee fencing team, has received a lifetime achievement award from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IOC announced Chang, 55, as one of two recipients of its IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards on Wednesday (Switzerland time), along with Laura Martinel, a judo coach from Argentina.

Chang coached the epee national team from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics to the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and led the country through its most successful stretch.

On his watch, Korea won the individual gold and team silver at the 2018 Asian Games, and the team silver at the 2021 Olympics in women's epee. Then at this year's Asian Games, Korea swept up the individual and team titles, with Choi In-jeong taking the individual gold and joining Kang Young-mi, Song Se-ra and Lee Hye-in for the team gold.

In between, Korea won its first-ever world title in the women's epee team event in 2022, while Song became the first Korean in 20 years to win a world championship in women's individual epee.

Korea is currently world No. 1 in women's team epee.

"Chang is at the forefront of growing women's fencing in the Republic of Korea," the IOC said in a statement. "Chang is also a keen advocate for the development of fencing in the Republic of Korea, especially women's fencing. The creator of diverse training programs tailored to the needs of female fencers, he has actively promoted women's participation in leadership roles in his home country."

Chang competed at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics before getting into coaching.

"The role played by coaches in an athlete's career is sometimes invisible but always invaluable," said IOC President Thomas Bach, a 1976 Olympic gold medalist in fencing. "The wealth of medals won by their athletes are testaments to the work of Laura Martinel and Taesuk Chang. More than that, both coaches serve as outstanding ambassadors for Olympism and the Olympic values. And both are worthy winners of this award."

Chang told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday that he'd like to give credit to his four core fencers: Choi, Kang, Song and Lee.

Korean fencers celebrate after winning gold in the women's team epee event at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China, during the 19th Asian Games, Sept. 27. Yonhap

"We shared a lot of great moments over the years," said Chang, who stepped down from the national team after the Hangzhou Asiad to focus on his club team in the southeastern city of Ulsan. "Most of them were at a disadvantage against their opponents because they weren't as tall, but they followed me really well and produced great results."

Chang said he and the athletes developed a strong bond on and off the piste.

"These four fencers are all great people, and we got along really well," he said. "There were times when they took care of me, not the other way around."

Chang was also famous for running brutal training sessions.

"The athletes complained sometimes because our sessions were too intense, but I kept telling them this was all to have the last laugh at competitions," Chang recalled. "And once we started getting results, they stopped complaining."

Chang said the Olympic team silver medal in Tokyo two years ago is the one that will stay with him the longest.

"Obviously, winning silver is a great accomplishment, but it was still disappointing to come home without the gold medal," Chang said. "We also could have done better in the individual event then."

Chang apologized to the fencers for leaving the national team and said, "I hope they work well with the new coach and win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics next year."

The IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards were founded in 2017 to recognize and celebrate "the vital role played by coaches in the life of any athlete, both on and off the field of play," according to the IOC. The IOC honors one female and one male coach each year, and Chang is the first Korean winner.

Candidates may be nominated by Olympic athletes, international sports federations, national Olympic bodies and IOC members. For 2023, the IOC received 74 candidates, and a selection panel, made up of two IOC Members from the IOC Athletes' Commission and two IOC Members from the IOC Athletes' Entourage Commission, appointed by Bach, chose the two winners. (Yonhap)