The Korean taekwondo team, which suffered a golden shock at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, left for Paris on Friday with a strong determination to “protect the pride of the Korean nation.”
The taekwondo team, led by head coach Lee Chang-gun, departed from Incheon International Airport on Friday for France, which will host the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The national taekwondo athletes met before departure and vowed to reconnect the golden vein that was broken three years ago.
“I missed out on the gold medal in Tokyo, but I want to enjoy the joy of winning this time around,” said Lee Da-bin (Seoul Metropolitan Government), the silver medalist in the women’s 67㎏ super-undersized category. ”I am confident because I have managed my injuries well.”
“I’m ready,” said Park Tae-joon (Kyunghee University), the first to compete in the men’s 58-kilogram category, ”and as the first taekwondo team to try for a medal, I will start with a gold medal.”
The team will train at the Korean team pre-camp at the French National Center for Defense and Sports (CNSD) in Fontainebleau, outside Paris, before moving into the Olympic Village in Paris on Aug. 4 and starting their gold medal hunt on Aug. 7.
Park Tae-joon will compete on August 7, followed by Kim Yoo-jin (Ulsan Metropolitan Sports Association) in the women’s 57-kilogram category on August 8, Seo Gun-woo (Korea Gymnastics) in the men’s 80-kilogram category on August 9, and Lee Da-bin on August 10.
The national team delayed their arrival at the athletes’ village as much as possible to manage their physical condition.
“The pre-camp facilities and living environment are better than the athletes’ village,” said Chung Eul-jin, the men’s national team coach. ”We organized the move-in schedule so that the athletes can compete after maximizing their physical condition in the pre-camp.”
“The athletes competing in the Paris Olympics are all at different levels of performance. The color of the medal depends on the condition and mentality of the athlete on the day,” he said, adding, ”Park Tae-joon, who will be competing first, is an athlete who does not shy away from big matches, so he will be able to perform well.”
The South Korean taekwondo team won one silver and two bronze medals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
It was the first time South Korea had not won a gold medal at an Olympic Games since the sport became an official Olympic sport.
“We will definitely restore the pride of our country in Paris,” said coach Chung Eul-jin.
The team has set its sights on winning at least one gold medal at the Games. 안전놀이터