[Olympics] Neither Misfortune Nor Biased Judging Could Stop Hwang Daeheon

Fell in 1500m and 1000m at 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Faced Setbacks
Thorough Preparation Over 4 Years... Overcame Unfair Disqualification to Win 1500m Gold Medal

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Daehun Hwang (Gangwon Province Office·Korea National Sport University), the leading male short track skater who won South Korea's first gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was known as the "fearless youngest" before participating in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. In 2016, he set the men's 1000m world record (1 minute 20.875 seconds) at the Salt Lake City World Cup and rose to No. 1 in the men's 1500m world rankings. Following the lineage of high school Olympic gold medalists such as Song Jae-geun at the 1992 Albertville Games, Kim Dong-sung at the 1998 Nagano Games, Jin Sun-yu at the 2006 Torino Games, and Shim Suk-hee at the 2014 Sochi Games, he was regarded as a promising talent.

At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he showed exceptional speed but was plagued by misfortune. In the men's 1500m final, he fell after his left foot caught on the ice with two laps remaining. In the men's 1000m, he fell just before the finish line, missing out on advancing to the semifinals. Although he won a valuable silver medal in the men's 500m, he could not hide his disappointment. "Every event was so tough that I couldn't choose just one. I kept telling myself to forget it quickly back at the dorm."

Misfortune seemed to continue at the Beijing Winter Olympics, where he had trained hard for four years. In the men's 1000m heats, he set an Olympic record (1 minute 23.042 seconds) and finished first in the semifinals, but was disqualified due to a questionable judgment. There was no contact or obstruction of other skaters' paths that could have caused the issue. The ruling was as absurd and biased as when Kim Dong-sung was disqualified due to Anton Ono's (USA) Hollywood action in the men's 1500m short track at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At that time, Kim Dong-sung broke down in tears and fainted in the locker room out of frustration. He received an IV drip at the medical room and competed in the men's 500m but was eliminated in the semifinals. Later, he recalled, "When you hit a wall, your confidence gradually diminishes. Just like people who have failed in life lose their confidence."

Having experienced his third misfortune at the Olympics, Daehun Hwang did not bow his head. Instead, right after the race, he posted on social media quoting basketball legend Michael Jordan's saying, "Obstacles don't necessarily stop you. When you hit a wall, don't turn back or give up," showing his resolute determination.

On the 9th, at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Daehun Hwang demonstrated overwhelming skill as promised in the men's 1500m. In the semifinals, he took the lead with eight laps remaining and comfortably crossed the finish line. In the final, despite competing against nine other skaters, he surged to the front with eight laps to go. Displaying remarkable endurance, he claimed victory with a time of 2 minutes 9.219 seconds. Hwang said, "'It's okay, it's okay'?sometimes saying that makes you okay. No matter the outcome, I kept knocking on the wall."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Having turned his second Olympic medal into gold, he now aims for multiple titles. On the 11th, he will compete in the men's 500m heats and the men's 5000m relay semifinals. The men's 500m is Hwang's main event, in which he won a (silver) medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Determined to perform well, Hwang said, "I will knock on another wall. I will race so cleanly that no one can touch me."