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S Korean taekwondo team ready for Asian Games
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-26 16:03
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SEOUL - The South Korean taekwondo team vowed to preserve the country's pride of being the birthplace of the sport at the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China, from Nov 12 to 27.
 Nagore Irigoien of Spain's Basque region (red) competes against Jeon Soo-yeon of South Korea during their women's taekwondo 63kg semi-final at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore Aug 18, 2010. [Photo/Agencies] |
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Ryu Byung-gwan, head coach of the men's taekwondo team, said in an interview with Xinhua that the national team aims to demonstrate their best performance in Asia's biggest sports event, hoping to pick up as many gold medals as possible along the way.
Though seemingly confident about the team's success, Ryu had one concern in mind: the use of the LaJust electronic body protectors for all matches at the Guangzhou Asian Games. The system has been adopted to ensure fairness in scoring.
"We spend a great amount of time practicing (the LaJust system). I expect to win eight gold medals if we get used to the system and do well," Ryu said.
South Korean taekwondo players, some of whom have never been engaged in international competition, showed no sign of anxiety.
"My goal is to win a gold medal, just like everyone else. I've practiced hard and I'll make sure to bring home a gold medal," said Kang Bo-hyun who will fight in the women's 67-kg competition at the Asian Games.
"I focus on practicing to increase flexibility. Attacking the face is most threatening, so I'm raising flexibility for better face kicking," said Kim Sung-ho who will fight in the men's 54-kg competition.
In Guangzhou, 16 gold medals will be at stake in taekwondo - eight for men and eight for women. At the Doha Asian Games in Qatar four years ago, South Korea took nine gold medals, five in the men's categories.