'I Might Not Get Another Chance'...so The Silver Medal In The Men's Roller Relay Was All The More Heartbreaking
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South Korea's men's roller skating team missed out on gold in the 3000-meter relay at the Asian Games. The silver medal is all the more disappointing as it is unclear whether roller skating will be included in future Asian Games and Olympic Games.
The Korean roller skating team of Choi In-ho (Nonsan City Hall), Choi Kwang-ho (Daegu City Hall), Chung Chul-won (Andong City Hall), and Chung Byung-hee (Chungbuk Sports Federation) won the silver medal in the men's roller skating speed 3000m relay final with a time of 4:05.702 at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Qiantang Rollersports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on February 2.
While the silver medal was a great achievement, it was a disappointment when you look at the race. Chinese Taipei won the gold medal with a time of 4:05.692. They were only 0.01 seconds behind the South Korean team. 먹튀검증
The Korean team was even in first place as they approached the finish line. The last runner, Chung Chul-won, continued to hold onto the top spot for the rest of the race.
However, tragedy struck just before the finish line. Chung was so confident of victory that he raised his arms in front of the finish line.
A Taiwanese athlete took advantage of this and attempted a "blade" move, which resulted in an upset victory for Taiwan. The men's relay team lost the gold medal because Chung was caught off guard.
This lapse led to his and junior Choi In-ho's military service. Jung and Choi had previously won gold medals in individual events. So it didn't matter if they were exempt from military service or not, but Chung's carelessness cost them their gold medals.
The bigger problem is that roller skating is unlikely to be included in future Asian Games and Olympic Games. Roller skating has already been removed from the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.
The situation is similar for the Asian Games. There's a good chance that roller skating will be removed from the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya. There hasn't been an official announcement yet, but if the sport is removed from the Asian Games, it would effectively be the last chance for athletes to receive a military exemption.
Choi In-ho, who lost both his gold medal and his military service benefits with a futile ceremonial run, and Chung Chul-won, who had a lot blown right in front of him, have virtually no more chances. For both Chung and Choi, the silver medal will be a lifelong scar that will never go away.
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