Mogul skier Choi set to take off in Olympics

Choi Jae-woo

By Baek Byung-yeul

Freestyle skier Choi Jae-woo set a milestone in Korean skiing four years ago, becoming the first South Korean to make the Olympic finals at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Choi made it to the second round of the finals in the men's moguls after finishing 10th in the first round, but he was disqualified in the second round as he swerved off the course. Though he wasn't close to the Olympic podium, it was the best ever result among Korean skiers competing at the Olympics.

Four years after, the 23-year-old now aims for his country's first-ever Olympic medal on snow at the upcoming PyeongChang Olympics.

Given he has displayed consistent performances at recent world cup events, his chances are better than four years ago.

Choi finished fourth twice at the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup in China, Dec. 21 and 22. He missed a podium chance Dec. 22 as he was only 0.06 points behind third place. He also finished fifth at the Calgary World Cup, Sunday, posting 81.74 points.

Mogul skiing is a type of freestyle skiing in which athletes ski down a mogul course and the score is based 50 percent on turning technique, 25 percent on air maneuvers and 25 percent on speed.

Choi said his experience at the Sochi Olympic helped him improve his performance. "My experience four years ago helped me a lot. I had a slump early this year (2017) but now I've almost broken out of it," Choi told reporters in PyeongChang, Dec. 28.

Choi, who currently sits fourth in the rankings, said he will focus more on himself in PyeongChang.

"I know there are prominent skiers in the world, but I believe I can get a good result if I keep focusing on what I can do rather than paying attention to others," he said.

When asked if he is trying to learn new skills for the Olympics, Choi said it was too late for that. "Rather than developing new skills, it would be better for me to display what I have prepared so far."

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