South Korean struggles with himself: inline skater gambles away military exemption at the finish line

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On both Sunday and Monday, the hundredths and thousandths are not on Cheolwon Jung’s side. Many people will now think that this is part of the sport. But in the case of 27-year-old Jung, it has had far-reaching consequences for his personal life.

Young South Korean men must complete military service, which lasts at least eighteen months. Athletes can avoid this obligation by achieving excellent results at major international events. Former Bundesliga professional Ja-Cheol Koo was part of the South Korean team that won Olympic bronze in London in 2012. That’s why he reduced his mandatory military service to two months of basic training, as ‘zeit.de’ wrote in 2018.

Compatriot faster in the 1000 meter sprint

At the Asian Games, only gold medals are good enough to get an exemption from regular military time. These are currently taking place in Hangzhou, China. Cheolwon Jung is there as an agile inline skater. On Sunday he missed the title by two thousandths, his compatriot Gwangho Choi took the gold from under his nose in the 1000 meter sprint.

On Monday, during the 3000 m relay, Jung leads the competition as the last runner. And celebrates gold before he even crosses the finish line. At the last moment, Yu-Lin Huang from Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) intercepts him. Again only silver for Jung. This time because of one hundredth of a second.

Instead of being able to express pure joy at the gold medal, Jung apologizes. “I made a big mistake,” he told Reuters news agency. “I was too careless too quickly. I’m very sorry.” (yes)

Source : Blick