Back Eun-Bi, Making a Comeback

Speed skating star Back Eun-Bi (ChunCheon City Hall) has made a remarkable comeback.

Back Eun-Bi won the gold in the Women’s 3000m on the first day of the 37th National Skating Championship held in Taereung International Ice-Skating Rink Monday.

Back Eun-Bi, the best player of women’s national team took the lead after a quick start and pushed the race with inarguable tenacity clocking 4:31.38, with Lee Ju-Yun (4:31.12) bagging the silver and Cho Hye-Soo (4.32.61) the bronze.

Back Eun-Bi won silver and bronze in the Women’s 3000m and 1500m at the 5th Asian Winter Games in Aomori in 2003. However, she was under investigation after coming up positive in a drug test. Finally she was confirmed to be negative and found not guilty, but she was deeply hurt by this.

She was voted Korea’s Speed Skater of the Year last June, but she didn’t seem to get out of her slump after the doping scandal since she failed to win any medals even in the Division B race in the Worldcup series.

“I was so eager to win that I couldn’t control myself and couldn’t take a full rest. Now I am getting better and I will make a brand new start,” she said.

jaeyuna@donga.com yjongk@donga.com