The 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games have wrapped up their eight-day run.
The Asian Winter Games were held in the lead-up to next year’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and Korea was able to rack up a total of 16 gold medals in Hokkaido, putting itself in second place on the medal standings.
Several Korean athletes stood out from the crowd, from Lee Seung-hoon, who has now become a four-time gold medalist in speed skating, despite an injury to his right calf, to Choi Dabin, who has now been dubbed the "next Kim Yuna," and all the way to a series of gold medalists across skiing and snowboarding.
New history was made in speed skating when Lee Seung-hoon swept the gold medals table, first in the men’s 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter, team pursuit and then the mass start races, becoming the first Korean skater to win four gold medals at one Asian Winter Games.
Choi Dabin finished in fifth place at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, a test event for next year's Winter Olympics held in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province. Right after competing there on home ice, Choi flew to Sapporo to attend the Asian Games and took home the first-ever gold medal for Korean ladies' figure skating at an Asian Winter Games, an outstanding achievement accomplished before she even had a chance to recover from the competition in Gangneung. Not even former figure skating champion Kim Yuna herself was ever able to get her hands on a gold medal at an Asian Winter Games.
Korean athletes also finished in first place in three skiing and snowboarding events, too, events where Korea is normally outmatched by other nations. Korean athletes clinched gold medals in snowboarding, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing, which lifts expectations for these events on home ground in Pyeongchang next year.
Snowboarder Lee Sang-ho claimed the first gold of the games in the men’s giant slalom race, and then another gold in the men’s slalom. The Norway-born Korean cross-country skier Kim Magnus won the men’s 1.4-kilometer sprint classical competition after a razor-thin race to the finish line. The skier took home for his mother’s country of birth the first-ever gold medal in Korean cross-country skiing history.
The Korean national anthem resonated at the alpine skiing event, too, when Jung Dong-hyun grabbed the gold medal in the men’s slalom, achieving a long sought dream.
In short track speed skating, one of Korea's stronger sports, five out of the eight gold medals went to Korean athletes. Shim Suk-hee and Choi Min-jeong finished in first place in the ladies’ 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter races, respectively. Both continued with a gold in the ladies’ 3,000-meter relay.
“I'm so happy that our team showed stronger performances here and was able to wrap up with great results, exceeding the goal we set before the games,” said Kim Sang-hang, head of Team Korea. “We will start preparation for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games tomorrow, an occasion where Korean athletes will once again showcase their strong performances. If we can learn from the mistakes we made here and set smart mid- and long-term goals, then we will accomplish even more in Pyeongchang next year than we did here in Sapporo,” he said.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Yonhap News
jiae5853@korea.kr
The Asian Winter Games were held in the lead-up to next year’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and Korea was able to rack up a total of 16 gold medals in Hokkaido, putting itself in second place on the medal standings.
Several Korean athletes stood out from the crowd, from Lee Seung-hoon, who has now become a four-time gold medalist in speed skating, despite an injury to his right calf, to Choi Dabin, who has now been dubbed the "next Kim Yuna," and all the way to a series of gold medalists across skiing and snowboarding.
New history was made in speed skating when Lee Seung-hoon swept the gold medals table, first in the men’s 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter, team pursuit and then the mass start races, becoming the first Korean skater to win four gold medals at one Asian Winter Games.
Lee Seung-hoon becomes the first Korean speed skater to win four gold medals at an Asian Winter Games. He triumphed in the men’s 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter, team pursuit and mass start races at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games.
Choi Dabin wins the first-ever gold medal for Korea in the ladies’ figure skating at an Asian Winter Games.
Choi Dabin finished in fifth place at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, a test event for next year's Winter Olympics held in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province. Right after competing there on home ice, Choi flew to Sapporo to attend the Asian Games and took home the first-ever gold medal for Korean ladies' figure skating at an Asian Winter Games, an outstanding achievement accomplished before she even had a chance to recover from the competition in Gangneung. Not even former figure skating champion Kim Yuna herself was ever able to get her hands on a gold medal at an Asian Winter Games.
Jung Dong-hyun rejoices after becoming the first Korean skier to win a gold medal in the men’s alpine slalom, at the Sapporo Teine resort in Japan on Feb. 25.
Korean athletes also finished in first place in three skiing and snowboarding events, too, events where Korea is normally outmatched by other nations. Korean athletes clinched gold medals in snowboarding, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing, which lifts expectations for these events on home ground in Pyeongchang next year.
Snowboarder Lee Sang-ho claimed the first gold of the games in the men’s giant slalom race, and then another gold in the men’s slalom. The Norway-born Korean cross-country skier Kim Magnus won the men’s 1.4-kilometer sprint classical competition after a razor-thin race to the finish line. The skier took home for his mother’s country of birth the first-ever gold medal in Korean cross-country skiing history.
The Korean national anthem resonated at the alpine skiing event, too, when Jung Dong-hyun grabbed the gold medal in the men’s slalom, achieving a long sought dream.
In short track speed skating, one of Korea's stronger sports, five out of the eight gold medals went to Korean athletes. Shim Suk-hee and Choi Min-jeong finished in first place in the ladies’ 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter races, respectively. Both continued with a gold in the ladies’ 3,000-meter relay.
“I'm so happy that our team showed stronger performances here and was able to wrap up with great results, exceeding the goal we set before the games,” said Kim Sang-hang, head of Team Korea. “We will start preparation for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games tomorrow, an occasion where Korean athletes will once again showcase their strong performances. If we can learn from the mistakes we made here and set smart mid- and long-term goals, then we will accomplish even more in Pyeongchang next year than we did here in Sapporo,” he said.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Yonhap News
jiae5853@korea.kr
The 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games wrap up their eight-day run on Feb. 26 at the Makomanai Indoor Skating Rink in Sapporo, Japan.
