South Korea’s men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics teams are determined to win back-to-back Olympic medals.
“We want to stand on the podium,” the men’s and women’s gymnasts said at a media day event at the Jincheon National Athletes’ Village in Chungcheongbuk-do on Saturday, 30 days before the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Korean gymnastics has set its sights on two medals in Paris: gold on the men’s floor exercise and bronze or better on the women’s vault.
Three years ago in Tokyo, the team won gold in the men’s vault and bronze in the women’s vault.
Kim Han-sol (Seoul Metropolitan Government), a two-time Asian Games floor champion, and Ryu Sung-hyun (Korea Gymnastics University), who finished fourth in floor at the Tokyo Olympics, are the favorites.
Kim and Ryu raised the technical difficulty level to 6.6, which is similar to their competitors. The color of the medal will be determined by the performance of the landing, gymnasts say.
Yeo Seo-jung (Jecheon City), who won bronze on vault at the Tokyo Olympics to become the first South Korean women’s gymnast to win an Olympic medal, will be looking for a second consecutive bronze or better.
“I finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, but I had a good experience,” said Ryu Sung-hyun. “I have gained experience in many international competitions, and this time I want to show something different from Tokyo, and I will stand on the top of the floor exercise podium.”
Kim Hansol, who will be competing in her third consecutive Olympic Games after Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in 2021, said, “I have competed in many international competitions since I was a child, and now I will compete with my experience,” adding, “I will definitely stand on the podium.”
Lee Joon-ho (Cheonan City Hall) said, “I want to reach the finals of the all-around, vault and bars in Paris,” adding, “The technical difficulty is similar (to my competitors), so I think medals are given by God. I will try to get into the medal round,” he said, predicting a surprise medal.
South Korea’s men’s gymnastics team failed to secure a team ticket, so only three gymnasts will compete as individuals this time.
Unlike the men, the women’s gymnastics team, who will be competing in their first Olympic team event in 36 years, vowed to “finish the competition well and without injuries to their teammates.”
Yeo Seo-jung, who is now leading the younger members of the team to her second Olympics as the oldest sister, said, “We have been training together for six years, since 2018, so we will try to show our strength together in Paris.”
The women’s national team, which has only had a handful of athletes compete in the Olympics as individuals, will be competing as a team (five members) for the first time since the 1988 Seoul Games.
Therefore, it is a very special and unfamiliar experience for the team as they comfort and encourage each other in preparation for the Olympics. 토토사이트순위