Jung prematurely raised his arms in celebration before crossing the finish line. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Hangzhou, China, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – Roller skater Jung Cheol-won, whose premature celebration resulted in the loss of a gold medal opportunity at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which commenced on September 23 and will conclude on October 8, recently took to social media (SNS) to express his heartfelt apology to his teammates and fans.
With a second-place finish, Jung and his teammate Choi In-ho missed out on a special benefit that would have exempted them from mandatory military service, compounding the disappointment of not securing the title.
On October 5, Jung issued a sincere apology on Instagram, admitting, “During the team event finals at the Asian Games, I exhibited behavior unbecoming of an athlete. I deeply apologize to my fellow players and the numerous fans who support me. I am truly sorry,” accompanied by a humble bow.
“As a representative of my country in the realm of athletics, I deeply regret and contemplate my actions, which fell short of giving my utmost until the very end,” Jung continued, adding, “I will continually strive to be an athlete who consistently gives their all until the final moment.”
On October 2, during the 3000-meter relay final at the Qiantang Rollersports Center in Hangzhou, China, Jung was the anchor. Regrettably, he prematurely raised his arms in celebration before crossing the finish line.
Meanwhile, the anchor from Chinese Taipei crossed the finish line ahead of him, securing the gold medal. This minor lapse cost South Korea the top spot, with the team settling for a silver medal, trailing Chinese Taipei by a mere 0.01 seconds.
This incident marks the second occasion at the Asian Games where a Korean athlete has felt compelled to issue an apology. Previously, tennis player Kwon Soon-woo had issued a handwritten apology on September 25, acknowledging his unsportsmanlike conduct, which included slamming his racket to the ground after losing to a Thai player in the second round of the men’s singles competition.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
