Jung So-young, who missed the opportunity to turn the tables due to timeouts, won silver medal in individual Paralympics competition after 12 years

Sep 02, 2024

Boccia representative Jeong So-young has won a silver medal for the women's individual (BC2 grade) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. In the early morning of the 1st (Korea time), they lost to Christina Goncalves of Portugal 1-4 in the final at South Paris Arena 1 in Paris, France. Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

"I'm so sad about the last scene of the 4th end."

The tension and the aftereffects of the injury have prevented the left arm from moving at will. I collected myself and concentrated, but it took more time than usual to hold the ball up. In the run-up to the Paris Paralympics, the shortcomings that I thought `overcome' through numerous exercises and mind control reappeared at the most important moment. In the end, this became a barrier to prevent Chung So-young (36, Chungcheongnam-do Disabled Boccia Federation) from challenging for the gold medal.

Jeong So-young, who reached the final of the women's individual boccia (BC2 grade) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, won the silver medal. Chung So-young faced Portugal's Christina Goncalves in the women's individual final at the Paris Paralympics at 1:10 a.m. on the 2nd (0-10-20-1-0) at South Paris Arena 1 in Paris, France, but lost 1-4. Chung So-young won the Paralympic medal again for the first time in 12 years since the 2012 London Games (the individual bronze medal). He went up one level with his best performance in the individual competition.

It was a proud achievement, but it was also regrettable. Jung had to put a lot of energy into controlling the 'bad habit' that came out of nowhere due to the tension in the final and focusing on the game again. As a result, the rush of time was repeated. Naturally, it was difficult to concentrate on the pitch.

It was fierce from the first end. the good work of Goncalves. Goncalves, who threw a target far from his camp, immediately put the red ball close to him. Jeong So-young put one ball close, but he couldn't get close to the second or fourth ball. However, he put his blue ball on the target as much as possible through the fifth and sixth pitches. It was difficult to judge who was closer to the eye. The referee made a detailed judgment and gave Goncalves one point.

The second end was the first place to go. It started with Jeong So-young's first attack. Goncalves' second pitch, which sent one pitch away, was blocked by a blue ball set up in front of Jung So-young. The third ball was attached to the target ball, but the measurement showed that it was far from Jeong So-young's ball. Goncalves was shaken. I used up all four or six balls. Still, Jung So-young's second pitch was closer to the target ball.

If it stopped like this, Jung So-young could finish the end with one point. However, with four balls left, Jeong So-young took a bold lead. He decided to make the most of four balls to score multiple points. However, he couldn't easily throw the ball, perhaps because of the tension from then on. There was not enough time. 3 balls to go, 1 minute to go. To send the ball as planned, you have to catch and throw the ball quickly, but your hand didn't move properly. Jeong So-young "It was a bad habit, so I tried a lot to correct it. I thought it was all gone, but it came out again. It was hard to throw the ball."

He threw the fifth ball with about 40 seconds left. A strategy of pushing the target and pushing it towards the self-ball. Rather, it became a handshake. Rather, the target ball moved toward the ball thrown by the opponent. Jung So-young finished the final pitch with 15 seconds left. The situation has not changed. The opponent got two points.

Throughout the third end, Jung So-young couldn't catch the ball easily. He just kept tapping the ball with the back of his left hand. My body didn't listen very well. Time went by without end. There were only one minute and nine seconds left and four balls left. Again, because I was pressed for time, I couldn't create an advantageous situation. Concalves also scored one point in the third end.

I changed my strategy in the fourth end. The target was thrown in a nearby area in the situation of a first strike. Choices of Chung So-young and Lim Kwang-taek, the coaches of Boccia, who have difficulty throwing the ball far away due to their arms that are not moving well. The strategy was to secure come-from-behind victory or extra time by aiming for four or more points through a physical fight.

It seemed to connect well. With Goncalves throwing all the balls, Jung So-young has five balls left. It was worth aiming for a tie with four points by directly targeting the target ball. He threw a blue ball step by step and hung it around the target.

Now, finishing with the last six pitches allowed four points. However, when the last ball left in Chung So-young's hand, Mexican referee Selina Hernandez blocked it. Judging that he pitched after the timeout. Jeong So-young's position is that she threw it at the end of the time. However, the referee's decision could not be reversed.

Jung So-young said "It was a game that left a lot of regret. I'm sad about the last 4th end"I'm still grateful for my best performance in the individual competition. I would like to share the joy of the silver medal with my aunt next to me (called by Kang Hyo-soon, assistant to Gyeonggi Province). I was going to retire after the Tokyo Games, but I was able to change my mind thanks to my aunt's persuasion. Now, I really want to win a gold medal in the remaining team events."

wman@sportschosun.com