Jeong Byeong-hee, ‘Son Geun-seong and Woo Hyo-sook Kids’

[Asian Games] ‘Son Geun-seong and Woo Hyo-sook Kids’ Jeong Byeong-hee “I Ran Only for the Gold Medal for 13 Years”

A 5th grade boy who was moved by the gold medal in Guangzhou in 2010 also felt the pain of being excluded from the gold medal event in Hangzhou in 2014 and 2018... “Thank you Choi In-ho for helping me score.”

Korean roller skater Jeong Byeong-hee (24, Chungbuk Sports Council) has dreamed of winning a gold medal in the Asian Games since she was in the fifth grade of elementary school, 13 years ago. 안전놀이터

At the 2010 Guangzhou Games, he watched on TV as Geun-seong Son and Hyo-suk Woo, the leading men and women of rollers, swept the gold medals in the 10,000m (Exclusion + Points) 10,000m.

While he was naturally roller skating following his older brother Jeong Byeong-gwan (Chungbuk Sports Council), who was three years older than him, it was a moment when a goal that would carry over into his career as an athlete was planted in him.

But the situation was not easy.

No matter how hard he worked, it was unclear whether he would be able to participate in the Asian Games.

Roller skating was not adopted as an official event at the 2014 Incheon Games, and at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, it was drastically reduced to two 20,000m road events for men and women.

Byung-hee Jeong did not give up hope and continued training quietly.

And after 13 years, an opportunity came.

The EP 10,000m event has returned as an official event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Jeong Byeong-hee, wearing the Taegeuk symbol, recorded the highest score of 19 points and won the gold medal at the competition held at the Qiantang Roller Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on the 30th.

His strategy of conserving his stamina early in the game and then shifting into high gear in the middle to sweep the points was successful.

In a phone call after the awards ceremony, Byeong-hee Jeong said, "I dreamed of seeing seniors Geun-seong Son and Hyo-suk Woo win gold medals in 2010," and reflected, "I kept running for year after year even though it was difficult after seeing just one gold medal at the Asian Games."

She was thrilled and said, "I wanted to have the same title as my idols and dreams, Son Geun-seong and Woo Hyo-sook."

Geun-seong Son, who is a playing coach at the Jeonbuk Sports Council, and Hyo-suk Woo, a retired player, are said to have supported their juniors, including Byeong-hee Jeong, in both material and spiritual ways ahead of this tournament.

Jung Byeong-hee also called them his brothers and sisters and recalled, "I was in a slump in July and August of this year, but my brother and sister said, 'If you believe in yourself and show what you have prepared, you will get good results,' so I got my mentality together."

He also expressed his gratitude to bronze medalist Choi In-ho, who helped him win the gold medal that day.

Choi In-ho competed for the lead until the middle of the game, preventing Chinese and Taiwanese players from scoring, and in the second half, he actively supported Jeong Byeong-hee's scoring by marking other players' runs.

Jeong Byeong-hee said, “During the game, he told me, ‘Take it easy (and score),’ so I rode with peace of mind.

I ’m grateful.”

Jung Byeong-hee, who achieved her childhood dream, expressed her ambition, saying, "We will win a gold medal together in the remaining 3,000m relay race," and added, "We will become athletes who develop further as we prepare for the next Asian Games."

EP 10,000m is a race format in which athletes who are ranked at a certain number of laps receive points while completing 50 laps around a 200m track, and those who are at the very end are eliminated.

In the lap after the bell rings, the players in 1st and 2nd place receive 2 and 1 point, respectively, and in the last lap, the players in 1st to 3rd place receive 3 to 1 points each.

The scores are added up to determine the ranking.