A momentary lapse in concentration changed the color of their medals, as the South Korean men’s roller skating team missed out on first place by just 0.01 seconds during an early gold medal ceremony and settled for a disappointing silver in the 3000m relay at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The team of Choi In-ho, Choi Kwang-ho and Chung Chul-won finished second in 4:05.702 in the final at the Qiantang Rollersports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on Sunday. They finished 0.01 seconds behind first-place Chinese Taipei, which clocked 4:05.692.
Heading into the day’s events, South Korea was the favorite to win. The team included Choi Kwang-ho and Chung Chul-won, who won gold and silver medals in the men’s 1000 meters sprint. From the start of the race, South Korea showed off their unwavering performance. The South Koreans were in good spirits going into the final lap and looked to be one step closer to gold.
However, a complacent finish cost them. Chung Chul-won was the last runner to cross the finish line, and before he could do so, he performed an early ritual of stretching his back and cheering, handing the top spot to Taiwan.
Chung was unable to lift his head after the race. “I should have done my best until the end, but I made the mistake of letting my guard down and not riding to the end,” he said, “I feel really sorry for my teammates who worked together. I’m also sorry to the many people who supported me.”
Chung was 0.002 seconds late in the men’s 1,000-meter sprint to finish second. For missing out on gold, Chung and Choi In-ho will not be eligible for special military service benefits.
The Chinese Taipei team, on the other hand, did not give up until the very end, sticking out their left foot in front of the finish line. Huang Yi-lin, who won the gold medal for Taiwan, said, “I saw my opponent’s joy and ran towards the finish line. I wanted to show him 안전놀이터 that I was fighting until the end,” she said. “I thought I was a little late, but the screen said I won by 0.01 seconds. It was a miracle.”
Korean roller skating has won medals on all three days of the event since it began on March 30. Chung Byung-hee (Chungbuk Sports Federation) won gold in the 10,000 meters excluded plus points (EP) on the first day of competition, while Choi Kwang-ho topped the 1000 meters sprint the next day. The women’s team won silver in the women’s 3000m relay, which was held before the men’s roller skating 3000m relay.