Paralympic Boccia Jeong Ho-won and Kim Han-su 'First Victory'... Challenging 9 Consecutive Gold Medals

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The South Korean boccia team, aiming for their ninth consecutive Paralympic gold medal, has made a promising start.

On the 28th, at the boccia individual preliminaries held at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo, Japan, Jeong Ho-won (35, Gangwon-do Disabled Sports Association), Jeong Seong-jun (43), and Kim Han-su (29, both from Gyeonggi-do) each secured their first victories.

Jeong Seong-jun (sports classification BC1), who was the first to compete for the team, defeated Katerina Churinova (Czech Republic) 8-2. Lim Gwang-taek, head coach of the boccia team, said, "Since it was the first match, I thought he might be nervous, so I told him to stay calm. Because of cerebral palsy, his body can become more rigid, but he did well," expressing satisfaction.

In the next match, South Korea’s boccia 'flagship' Jeong Ho-won (BC3) defeated Che Tak Wa from Hong Kong 8-1. Ranked third in the world and the gold medalist in the individual event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Jeong Ho-won is aiming for a second consecutive individual gold and medals in four consecutive Paralympic Games at this Tokyo event. After the match, Jeong said in an interview, "There is pressure to win back-to-back Paralympic titles. It’s my first competition in two years, so I’m nervous," but added, "I am more desperate and earnest than ever. I want to raise the Taegeukgi flag at the top in Japan, which is the closest country to Korea," showing his determination.

Kim Han-su (BC3), ranked 38th in the world, who teamed up with his mother and game partner Yoon Chu-ja, caused an upset by defeating second-ranked Ho Yuen Kei (Hong Kong) 4-2. Kim said, "I finished fourth in the individual events at both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. I definitely want to win a medal in the individual event at this Tokyo competition. Medaling in the pairs event is also a goal."

A week ago, Kim Han-su reportedly dreamed of facing Ho Yuen Kei and losing. At that time, Yoon comforted her son, who was downhearted, saying, "The dream is the opposite." As predicted by his mother, the dream turned out to be the opposite. Coach Lim Gwang-taek was also pleased with Kim’s victory, saying, "I was worried about his game sense since it’s his first competition in three years. Moreover, his first opponent was the world’s second-ranked player whose skills have recently improved rapidly. So I told him to just stay relaxed, and a good result came out."

Meanwhile, the last team member to compete in the individual preliminaries, Lee Yong-jin (41, Chungnam), lost 0-11 to Brazil’s Macieus Santos.

Boccia, a sport exclusive to disabled sports, is played by people with severe cerebral palsy and motor disabilities. The sport classifications in boccia range from BC1 to BC4. Cerebral palsy disabilities are classified as BC1 to BC3, while motor disabilities fall under BC4. The BC3 class, which has the most severe disabilities, includes a game partner who participates alongside the player.

Players roll or throw six balls colored blue or red, and points are scored by placing them as close as possible to a white target ball. Considerable concentration and accuracy are required to send the balls to the desired spot. Intense mental battles also take place to block or avoid the opponent’s balls. Individual and pairs matches are played over four ends, while team matches are played over six ends. The balls weigh 275g (±12g), about twice the weight of a baseball, and have a circumference of 270mm (±8mm), roughly between a handball and a baseball.

South Korea is a powerhouse in boccia. Since the 1988 Seoul Games through the 2016 Rio Games, the country has won eight consecutive gold medals in this sport. Just as the South Korean women's archery team achieved nine consecutive team golds at the Olympics, the boccia team aims for their ninth consecutive Paralympic gold medal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.