Speed Skater Seen as Korea`s Best Olympic Gold Prospect

With just 20 days left before the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, Korea aims to win six gold medals. Yet who is the favorite to earn the coveted gold medal around his or her neck?

An opinion poll was taken at a media day event at the international rink in Seoul`s Taereung National Village. Many Olympic athletes and coaches attended.

The survey found that speed skater Lee Kyou-hyuk is considered the most likely gold medalist. He ranked first in the men’s 500-meter speed skating in the World Cup’s fifth round and won in the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships.

Fellow short-track speed skater Lee Eun-byeol said, “(Lee Kyou-hyuk) appears to be in good condition. In addition, he is a five-time participant in the Winter Olympics.”

Other Korean favorites to win the gold are world figure skating champion Kim Yu-na and short-track speed skater Lee Ho-seok. Speed skater Lee Sang-hwa said, “Kim Yu-na can win even if she tumbles on the rink. All Koreans look forward to her winning a gold medal.”

Figure skater Kwak Min-jeong also said Kim Yu-na excels in both technique and performance.

Other candidates for gold medals are other short-track speed skaters and the ski jumping team.

Figure skating is the favorite event of the Winter Olympics among Korean athletes. They said figure skating is the event they want to see the most except their own events.

Speed skater Lee Joo-yeon said, “I`m a big fan of Kim Yu-na. I`ve watched all of her performances on the Internet. This time, I`d really like to see her in person.”

Interestingly, short-track speed skaters cited their sport as the event they want to see the most. In addition, many athletes said they want to see ski jumping, perhaps affected by the Korean blockbuster movie “Jump,” which was about the Korean national ski jumping team.

creating@donga.com