"I was encouraged by watching 10 consecutive Olympic archery games." Korea's Boccia has lost 10 games in a row. The great challenge begins
Aug 27, 2024
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South Korea's Boccia national team held an official training session at the South Paris Arena on the 27th (local time). In Korean sports for the disabled, boccia is a 'self-respect' event that is the same as archery for non-disabled sports. South Korea has won nine gold medals in a row from the 1988 Seoul Games, when Boccia was adopted as an official event, to the 2021 Tokyo Games. It is a great achievement that matches the women's team archery at the Olympics for 10 consecutive years.
The national team joined the pre-training camp on the 14th and continued local adaptation training. Lim Kwang-taek, head coach of the Boccia national team, said, `While watching the 10th consecutive victory of archery with the players on TV, we made a pledge to 'Let's do it as well.' `We worked harder because we had such a goal. We also talked about that if we do well, juniors with severe disabilities will have new dreams and train."
The Boccia national team will compete in eight events, including men's and women's individuals, pairs, and groups by competition grade from the 29th to the 5th of next month. The goal is one gold medal and one silver medal or more. "If we win the gold medal first in the individual competition, I think we will produce good results with that energy and momentum," coach Lim said.
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Jung Ho-won, who will participate in his fifth Paralympic Games, is ranked No. 1 in the world. "It's not easy to endure more than 20 years in one field, but I want to praise myself a little bit."I want to win gold medals in both events and achieve Korea's goal of 10 consecutive gold medals." expressed his aspirations. "South Korea won five gold medals in archery at the Olympics and won 10 consecutive games. "When I saw that, I also wanted to win gold medals in both events and achieve my goal of winning 10 consecutive gold medals." About his collaboration with his partner Kang Sun-hee "As we've been working together for the last three years, I think we're at our peak right now. The chemistry between the two of us is very good, he said with a smile.
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Ahead of this competition, the participation system has also changed, with individual competitions divided into men's and women's divisions and candidate players disappearing. The national team has changed the way it is selected for the national team. For the first time in Paralympic history, the national team has been selected three times. Coach Lim stressed that `Although we express that it is more difficult to select the national team than the gold medal in the archery, our Boccia also came to this position by overcoming considerable difficulties during the selection match.'
Boccia is a game in which six red and blue balls are pitched to one white target, respectively. It is a method of obtaining one point each for a ball closer to the target ball than the opponent's ball. The winning team is determined by adding up the scores of the 4th end for the individual and fair games and the 6th end for the team games.
"It is similar to curling, but it is an event in which a large number of cases occur as the target ball moves, so the tactics and strategies are very fierce," coach Lim said. "It is a representative sport for the severely disabled, and you can also feel the emotion that shows that you can do something with sports."
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-The Paris Games are the fifth Paralympic Games. How do I feel about my 5th try?
▶I thought about it once. This is my fifth participation in the Paralympics, and it is not easy to endure for more than 20 years in one field, but I want to praise myself a little bit.
-The coach said that Jung Ho-won is the best player now than the previous four competitions. What's the special reason?
▶Until last year, I thought a lot about whether to quit Boccia or not. However, my partner, coach Kim Seung-gyeom, helped me a lot and didn't quit, and I think I've improved since then as I've tried many changes.
-Why did you want to quit?
▶First of all, my grades didn't go well. And the boccia event was originally only available for cerebral palsy players, but now non-cerebral palsy can also play. Currently, non-cerebral palsy players have a higher proportion than cerebral palsy, so I thought about whether I could survive there, so I tried to quit.
-What's your goal for this competition?
▶Watching the Olympics, South Korea won five gold medals in archery and won 10 consecutive games. When I saw that, I wanted to win gold medals in both events and achieve my goal of winning 10 consecutive gold medals.
-What did you especially prepare for the second consecutive pair title and individual gold medal after Tokyo in this competition?
▶I tried to think a lot of good things and tried hard to bring out a positive mind.
-If you win gold this time, you will win 10 consecutive gold medals in boccia like archery, how do you feel?
▶ My heart is racing. A lot.
-You've collaborated a lot with Kang Sun-hee for the gold medal, but what's your recent relationship?
▶I think this is my best performance after working with Kang Sun-hee for three years. The reason is that Kang Sun-hee also worked hard and I prepared that hard. The chemistry between the two of us seems to match very well. So I look forward to this competition more.
-When do you think you have good chemistry?
▶Until now, there was no one to rely on because he played with only young players. Now, I can rely on my sister, so I feel that the chemistry is good.
-What did you say to coach Kim Seung-gyeom ahead of this competition?
▶Coach Kim Seung-gyeom had a really hard time, but he said that I would do well this time and live up to his efforts and expectations.
-What did coach Kim Seung-gyeom say?
▶Coach Kim Seung-gyeom thanked me for following him well as much as he worked hard. Although this competition has several goals, including winning 10 consecutive gold medals in Boccia and winning two gold medals for the first time, he said to play with the same mindset, thinking about the international competition that he has worked with for years. He said, "As I have a special goal, don't feel burdened and let's do what we've been doing so far."
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