Canadian-born goalie Matt Dalton on Feb. 8 blocks a shot in a game against Japan in the Legacy Cup, a tournament hosted by Korea to mark the first anniversary of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, at Gangneung Hockey Center in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province. (Yonhap News)
By Oh Hyun-woo and Kim Hwaya
The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics saw a record number of naturalized athletes representing Team Korea to help the nation achieve success in the tournament.
Nineteen such competitors took part in five events such as ice hockey and the biathlon. Though many returned to their motherlands over the past year, a few chose to play on for Korea.
Ice hockey goalie Matt Dalton and defenseman Eric Regan are both from Canada and were naturalized as Korean nationals in 2016. Dalton also gained fame in Korea for wearing a goalie mask painted with the image of Yi Sun-sin, the legendary Korean admiral famous for his victories during the Imjin War against Japan in the late 16th century.
Both players said they miss their families in Canada but wish to play ice hockey for no other country except Korea, adding that they deeply appreciate being accepted by the national team.
Dalton said he had received many offers from various teams after the PyeongChang Olympics, but understood how much effort went into naturalizing one athlete. So even after retiring from the sport, he added, he wants to stay in Korea.
Biathletes Timofei Lapshin and Anna Frolina, two naturalized Koreans who were both born in Russia, on Feb. 20 speak to Korea.net in an interview at Alpensia Biathlon Center in Pyeongchang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province. (Choi Taesoon)
In the biathlon, Anna Frolina and Timofei Lapshin, who were both born in Russia, have opted to stay in Korea after representing the country in the PyeongChang Olympics last year. Frolina, who got her Korean passport in 2017, was also excluded from Team Russia after having a child.
From Feb. 19-22, both athletes took part in the National Winter Sports Festival at Alpensia Biathlon Center in Pyeongchang-gun County, Gangwon-do. There, Lapshin won the men's biathlon sprint and individual events and Frolina did the same in the women's competition.
On why they chose to stay in Korea, they said they want to improve the biathlon level in the country, which they said shows "potential for development."
Frolina called the biathlon her life and said her goal is to popularize the sport in Korea. Lapshin said he wants to compete for Korea at least in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2026 edition if possible.
hyunw54@korea.kr
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