Ahn Jung-hyeon and Kim Byeong-jun, coaches of the Korean short track team, express disappointment over the disqualification of Hwang Dae-heon and Lee Jun-seo in the men’s 1000m short track short track speed track skating semifinals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China on the followingnoon of the 7th. Beijing = Yonhap News
The men’s short track team was eliminated following being penalized for an absurd decision even following an excellent performance at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The issue of territoriality judgment that went beyond China’s territoriality was once once more on the cutting board as Chinese players who climbed up due to Korea’s elimination advanced to the finals and eventually even hung medals around their necks.
Hwang Dae-heon (23) was the first to cross the finish line in the men’s 1,000-meter short track speed skating semifinals at the Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 7th at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Hwang Dae-heon, who started the race in 3rd place following two Chinese players, including Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong, calmly raced around the race, looking for opportunities. After that, with 4 laps left, as the gap between the Chinese players widened, they gently dug into the in-course and eventually took the lead. Hwang Dae-heon, who once took the lead, was the first to enter the finish line by maintaining his position until the end.
However, following reading the video, the referee judged that “the lane change was late” and decided to drop Hwang Dae-heon. As a result, Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong, who placed 2nd and 3rd, advanced to the finals with 1st and 2nd places. Today’s ruling is considered unusual even among experts. Former national team coach Yeo Jun-hyung said, “The decision is made by the referee,” but “I do not disqualify a player in the same situation as Hwang Dae-heon. KBS commentator Lee Jung-soo said, “(Rather) this is a play that deserves applause around the world.”
The ambiguous decision continued in the semi-final group 2 match. Jun-seo Lee (22), the youngest member of the men’s short track team, started the race last in the semifinals, but passed the finish line as 2nd place in the group through in-course overtaking. However, as it was judged that there was a lane change violation, China’s Dajing Wu advanced to the final in 2nd place. As two Korean players were eliminated by decision, as a result, two additional Chinese players entered the final stage.
The medal was also won by China. China entered the finish line with Ren Ziwei in 2nd place and Li Wenlong in 3rd place in the final, but following another video reading, 1st place Liu Xiaolin Sandor (Hungary) was given a yellow card and took gold and silver medals. After the match, Hwang Dae-heon and Lee Jun-seo left the stadium with dark expressions. Hwang Dae-heon responded to a Korean reporter’s request for an interview regarding the verdict in the mixed zone (common coverage area), saying, “I’ll do it next time,” and then left the place. Lee Jun-seo shook his head, expressed his refusal to do so, and then left.
The icy bad luck continued for the short track team. Park Jang-hyuk (24), who fell in the mixed relay qualifier, collided with another athlete that day. He advanced to the semifinals, but withdrew due to a torn upper left finger. Choi Min-jung was eliminated in the women’s 500m quarterfinals, finishing 4th. She started the race in second place following Ariana Fontana (Italy), but fell on ice in the corner with two laps left of the finish line, and smashed the floor with her fist and swallowed the minute.
After having time for reorganization on the 8th, Korea will start hunting for medals in earnest. On the 9th, Hwang Dae-heon, Park Jang-hyuk and Lee Jun-seo will run once more in gold in the men’s 1,500m. The women’s 1,000m short track final is scheduled for the 11th.
Beijing Dongsoon Choi reporter [email protected]
