ID :
204602
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 14:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/204602
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea in danger of getting shut out, missing goal
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- After five days of competition, host South Korea hasn't come close to winning a medal or having multiple top-10 finishes at the World Championships in Athletics in its own backyard.
One after another, South Koreans have been falling out of preliminary heats and qualifying rounds in track and field. Instead, they have been relegated to watching international athletes soak up adulation from Korean fans at Daegu Stadium and along the marathon and race walk courses.
At this rate, South Korea could join Sweden and Canada in dubious company as the only host countries to fail to win a world championships medal at home.
South Korea has never won a world championships medal, aside from an unofficial silver medal in the men's marathon team event at the 2007 competition in Osaka.
Some went out in embarrassing fashion -- sprinter Kim Kuk-young was disqualified for a false start in a 100-meter heat -- and others came within a whisker of a spot in the next round -- Park Bong-go missed the 400-meter semis by 0.32 seconds.
Choi Yun-hee tied her own national record of 4.40 meters in women's pole vault, but that still wasn't enough to put her in the semis. Kim Kun-woo broke his own Korean decathlon record for the fourth time here, but his 7,860 points were only good for 17th place among 30.
Winning a medal here may have been too daunting of a task from the start. South Korea's stated goal is slightly more modest. Under its "10-10" project, the host has been trying to place athletes in the top 10 in at least 10 disciplines.
South Korea may be hard-pressed to meet even that objective. So far, only Kim Hyun-sub in the men's 20 kilometer race walk has finished inside the top 10 for the host, finishing sixth.
Male long and triple jumper Kim Deok-hyeon remains the best hope for a second top-10 finish or even a medal. His long jump begins Thursday and triple jump will follow Friday.
If Kim, too, comes up short, male marathoners will try to end the championships on a high note for the host on Sunday, the last day of the competition. They will go for a medal in the unofficial team event, which awards medals based on the combined times of the three fastest marathoners for each country.
This medal doesn't count toward the standings, but will at least mean a moral victory for South Korea, following its feat on the men's side of the same event in Osaka.
The team is missing Ji Young-jun, the fastest active marathoner for South Korea. He was cut from the team earlier this month after battling injuries and off-field issues all year.
After Ji's personal best of 2:08:30, Jeong Jin-hyuk has the next best time of 2:09:28.
Jeong Man-hwa, the marathon team coach, said his runners will be under pressure.
"Marathon is such a fickle event; someone can tell you he's feeling great and put up a bad time, or vice versa," Jeong said. "The temperature may peak at around 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and if we can pace ourselves early, we should be okay."
Jeong said the marathoners will "never give up even if they fall behind the pack."
South Koreans athletes who had completed their events offered some words of encouragements as they left the athletes' village Wednesday. Female marathoner Chung Yun-hee, who competed on the first day here last Saturday, admitted she had a "bittersweet" experience in Daegu and said she hoped her male teammates would do better.
"I think it will be even hotter than when we ran, and the conditions will be more favorable," Chung said. "I have my faith in them."
Kim Kun-woo, who broke his own national record in decathlon on Sunday, said the remaining athletes shouldn't force themselves too hard.
"I just hope they won't make mistakes trying to do too much," Kim said. "I know more than anyone how hard they've worked so far. I will be cheering them on."
DAEGU, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- After five days of competition, host South Korea hasn't come close to winning a medal or having multiple top-10 finishes at the World Championships in Athletics in its own backyard.
One after another, South Koreans have been falling out of preliminary heats and qualifying rounds in track and field. Instead, they have been relegated to watching international athletes soak up adulation from Korean fans at Daegu Stadium and along the marathon and race walk courses.
At this rate, South Korea could join Sweden and Canada in dubious company as the only host countries to fail to win a world championships medal at home.
South Korea has never won a world championships medal, aside from an unofficial silver medal in the men's marathon team event at the 2007 competition in Osaka.
Some went out in embarrassing fashion -- sprinter Kim Kuk-young was disqualified for a false start in a 100-meter heat -- and others came within a whisker of a spot in the next round -- Park Bong-go missed the 400-meter semis by 0.32 seconds.
Choi Yun-hee tied her own national record of 4.40 meters in women's pole vault, but that still wasn't enough to put her in the semis. Kim Kun-woo broke his own Korean decathlon record for the fourth time here, but his 7,860 points were only good for 17th place among 30.
Winning a medal here may have been too daunting of a task from the start. South Korea's stated goal is slightly more modest. Under its "10-10" project, the host has been trying to place athletes in the top 10 in at least 10 disciplines.
South Korea may be hard-pressed to meet even that objective. So far, only Kim Hyun-sub in the men's 20 kilometer race walk has finished inside the top 10 for the host, finishing sixth.
Male long and triple jumper Kim Deok-hyeon remains the best hope for a second top-10 finish or even a medal. His long jump begins Thursday and triple jump will follow Friday.
If Kim, too, comes up short, male marathoners will try to end the championships on a high note for the host on Sunday, the last day of the competition. They will go for a medal in the unofficial team event, which awards medals based on the combined times of the three fastest marathoners for each country.
This medal doesn't count toward the standings, but will at least mean a moral victory for South Korea, following its feat on the men's side of the same event in Osaka.
The team is missing Ji Young-jun, the fastest active marathoner for South Korea. He was cut from the team earlier this month after battling injuries and off-field issues all year.
After Ji's personal best of 2:08:30, Jeong Jin-hyuk has the next best time of 2:09:28.
Jeong Man-hwa, the marathon team coach, said his runners will be under pressure.
"Marathon is such a fickle event; someone can tell you he's feeling great and put up a bad time, or vice versa," Jeong said. "The temperature may peak at around 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and if we can pace ourselves early, we should be okay."
Jeong said the marathoners will "never give up even if they fall behind the pack."
South Koreans athletes who had completed their events offered some words of encouragements as they left the athletes' village Wednesday. Female marathoner Chung Yun-hee, who competed on the first day here last Saturday, admitted she had a "bittersweet" experience in Daegu and said she hoped her male teammates would do better.
"I think it will be even hotter than when we ran, and the conditions will be more favorable," Chung said. "I have my faith in them."
Kim Kun-woo, who broke his own national record in decathlon on Sunday, said the remaining athletes shouldn't force themselves too hard.
"I just hope they won't make mistakes trying to do too much," Kim said. "I know more than anyone how hard they've worked so far. I will be cheering them on."
