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Tokyo Summer Olympics to kick off Friday
By Kang Seung-woo
In the previous four Summer Olympics, dating back to 2004, Korea made it onto the top 10 countries in terms of medals won, establishing itself as one of the global sports powerhouses.
With the start of the Tokyo Games just around the corner, Korean athletes are set to compete at the biggest quadrennial event in the world, seeking to keep the country's streak alive. The Summer Games, which had to be postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kick off Friday.
"Team Korea has its sights on a top-10 finish with seven gold medals," Shin Chi-yong, head of the Jincheon National Training Center, said in a recent radio interview.
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| Korea's archers, Jang Min-hee, from left, Kang Chae-young and An San, train at the Jincheon National Training Center, June 28. Joint press corps |
Lee Kee-heung, an International Olympic Committee member and president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC), also said in an interview, "Thanks to short-distance travel and no time difference between Korea and Japan, I believe that Korean athletes will be able to put in a solid performance that should help ensure a top-10 finish."
Korea's Olympic team consists of 232 athletes competing in 29 events. An additional 122 members of Korea's coaching and support staff are also taking part in this year's Summer Games.
In April, the global data giant Gracenote predicted that Korea would win a total of 25 medals ― nine gold, 10 silver and six bronze ― to finish 10th in the countrywide medal tally. That ranking contrasts with the KSOC's forecast of seven gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze medals.
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| Lee Dae-hoon, left, trains at Jincheon National Training Center, April 14. Korea Times file |
Team Korea hopes to win gold medals in archery, taekwondo, shooting and fencing. Korea has dominated the medals in those events. The matches for these events are scheduled for the early phase of the Olympics.
In particular, Korea expects to claim more than two gold medals each in archery and taekwondo, believing that a strong start could pave the way to reaching its top-10 goal.
In archery, five gold medals are up for grabs, which is more than in previous Games, as a mixed team event will make its Olympic debut.
Korea's archers won three gold medals each in Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and London in 2012, and they achieved an unprecedented archery gold medal sweep at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro five years ago.
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| Oh Sang-uk, right, a gold medal favorite in the men's sabre fencing individual competition at the Tokyo Olympics, trains at Jincheon National Training Center, June 28. Yonhap |
This time in Tokyo, all Korean archers are viewed as gold medal contenders. Their hunt for the gold begins in the mixed team event, Saturday.
Korea has remained unbeaten in the women's team event since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The women's team, comprised of Kang Chae-young, Jang Min-hee and An San, will seek to extend its Olympic gold streak to nine, Sunday.
The men's archery team has brought two former Olympic champions, Kim Woo-jin and Oh Jin-hyek, back on board to defend its Olympic title, Monday. Kim was a member of the gold-medal-winning archery team in 2016, while Oh won in the individual event in 2012.
The women's individual event takes place on July 30 and the men's individual match on July 31.
Taekwondo is another core sport that Korea is betting on to achieve its gold medal goal. Eight gold medals are up for grabs across four weight categories, each for men and women.
Korea, where taekwondo originated, has bagged 12 gold medals in the sport along with two silver and five bronze since 2000, when it first became an official Olympic sporting event. Five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, all five Korean taekwondo athletes stood on the podium, winning two gold and three bronze medals.
This time, Korea is fielding six athletes and aiming for two gold and three silver medals.
In the men's 58-kilogram event, Jang Jun, the 2019 world champion, is a gold medal favorite, while Sim Jae-young, the two-time defending world champion in the women's 46-kilogram class, will pursue her first Olympic medal in the 49-kilogram class.
Lee Dae-hoon, who won a silver in London and a bronze in Rio de Janeiro, will chase an elusive gold medal in the men's 68-kilogram division, July 25.
"In the past Games, I was more focused on how I played, regardless of medal outcome, but now I only think about winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics," Lee said.
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| Jin Jong-oh, who will compete in the men's 10-meter air pistol and the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the Tokyo Olympics, trains at Jincheon National Training Center, June 28. Joint press corps |
In fencing, where 12 gold medals are on offer, Korea is aiming for the gold in both the individual and team men's sabre events. Oh Sang-uk is the top-ranked fencer and the men's team is also perched atop the men's sabre team rankings.
Oh will take part in the individual event on July 24, while the team matches will be held on July 28.
Jin Jong-oh, the first shooter in Olympic history to win a specific event at three consecutive Summer Games, is preparing for his Olympic swan song in Tokyo.
In his four Olympic appearances, Jin captured four gold medals and two silver medals, tying with former archer Kim Soo-nyung for the most Olympic medals won by a Korean athlete.
The 50-meter pistol event, in which Jin won three gold medals from 2008 to 2016, is no longer part of the Olympics. As a result, the 41-year-old will only compete in the men's 10-meter air pistol and the newly created 10-meter air pistol mixed team event. The Korean shooter also clinched a gold medal in the category in 2012.
"I feel great. I think I have just a little more room to improve in terms of my score," Jin told reporters after arriving at Narita International Airport on Sunday. "If I can fill the last 2 percent, it would be just perfect."
The 10-meter event is scheduled for Saturday, followed by the mixed team event on July 27.
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| Park In-bee, the 2016 Olympic champion in women's golf, will return to the Tokyo Games to defend her title. Korea Times file |
This time, with No. 3 Park returning to defend her Olympic title, No. 2 Ko Jin-young, No. 4 Kim Sei-young and No. 5 Kim Hyo-joo are also expected to take a shot at the gold.
In baseball, which has been added again for the Tokyo Olympics after a 13-year hiatus, Korea, the 2008 champion, is anticipated to compete with Japan for the gold, while the Olympic football squad ― a bronze medalist in London ― is looking for a higher spot on the podium.
Judoka An Ba-ul, who came up short in the gold medal match in Rio, will give it another shot at the Olympic title in the men's under-66 kilograms, Sunday.
In the modern pentathlon, comprised of pistol shooting, epee fencing, 200-meter freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping and a 3,200-meter cross-country run, Korea has been a minnow, failing to produce an Olympic medalist. However, Jun Woong-tae, a four-time world champion and 2018 Asian Games gold medalist, is raising hopes of the nation's first Olympic medal in the sport.
