speed skater-Olympics
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| ▲ Chung Jae-won of South Korea competes in the men's 10,000m race at the National Allround Speed Skating Championships at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2022. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Chung Jae-won of South Korea reacts after winning the men's 1,500m race at the National Allround Speed Skating Championships at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2022. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Chung Jae-won of South Korea competes in the men's 1,500m race at the National Allround Speed Skating Championships at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2022. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Chung Jae-won of South Korea competes in the men's 10,000m race at the National Allround Speed Skating Championships at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2022. (Yonhap) |
speed skater-Olympics
Young speed skater embraces pressure ahead of 2nd Winter Olympics in Beijing
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) -- At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, South Korean speed skater Chung Jae-won was a precocious teenager, still about four months away from his 17th birthday. He teamed up with Lee Seung-hoon, 13 years his senior, and Kim Min-seok, two years older than Chung, for the men's team pursuit silver medal. Chung became the youngest Korean speed skater to reach an Olympic podium.
Now four years later, the same trio will go for another Olympic medal in the team pursuit in Beijing in February. The major difference: Chung is now considered the ace of the team.
And the new label doesn't faze the 20-year-old one bit.
"I don't feel any pressure from all that attention. I am thankful that people are following my career and cheering me on," Chung said last Friday after competing at the National Allround Speed Skating Championships at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul. "And that extra attention has made me become more responsible in my preparation for the Olympics."
At the allround event, male skaters competed in the 500m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m over Thursday and Friday. Chung swept all four races en route to winning the overall championship. Lee, a five-time Olympic medalist, finished second overall.
Chung ranked fourth in the mass start standings during this past International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup season, good enough to instill a healthy dose of confidence in the skater.
"Obviously, I want to do well in Beijing, but if I try to do too much, then I won't even get to show the things that I've prepared," Chung said. "I have to keep my emotions in check and stay composed."
Chung was noncommittal when asked about his specific goals for Beijing.
"The mass start is such an unpredictable event," he said. "But in terms of my skills and other aspects, I think I've reached a point where I can capitalize on an opportunity once I have it."
Chung thinks his physical maturity over the past four years has done wonders.
"I am able to generate more speed and skate with much more power than before," he said. "I was still not fully developed four years ago (at PyeongChang 2018), but I am much stronger now."
Chung and Lee found themselves in an unexpected bit of controversy during PyeongChang 2018. Lee won the inaugural Olympic gold medal in the mass start -- where all skaters take the start at once, a la short track speed skating -- and Chung played the role of a pacemaker in the early portion of the 16-lap race.
Lee and the coaching staff were criticized for forcing Chung to take on the thankless task and asking the team's youngest skater to give up his own shot at Olympic glory for its oldest member.
The "sacrificial lamb" label has followed Chung for years, though Chung, who finished eighth in that mass start final, has repeatedly stressed he was never forced to do anything for Lee at PyeongChang 2018.
"It was all part of being on a team, and nothing was forced upon me," Chung said. "It was a strategy that I could easily accept, and it worked out great."
Chung said he and Lee hadn't yet discussed their strategies for the mass start in Beijing. Chung said having a skater act as a pacemaker for a teammate may no longer be feasible, given the changing trend in the mass start. Chung said skaters tend to build up speed earlier in the race than in the past. Gone are leisurely strolls around the oval in early laps.
"From start to finish, you can never let your guard down, even for a moment," Chung said. "When you're in the final, you have to keep an eye on every skater."
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