"Oh my, truly unexpected"... Chinese 'Foul King' Wang Meng also surprised by Hwang Daeheon disqualification ruling

Hwang Daeheon and Lee Junseo's Absurd Disqualification... Outrageous Biased Judgment

Former Chinese short track speed skater Wang Meng.
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Wang Meng (38), a former Chinese short track speed skater who was known as the "King of Fouls" for his intentional physical confrontations during his active career, expressed confusion over the disqualification of South Korean short track male national team member Hwang Daeheon (23, Gangwon Province Office). Currently, Wang Meng works as an Olympic commentator for China Central (CC) TV.

On the 7th, China’s Sina Sports reported, "Regarding the disqualification of South Korean athlete Hwang Daeheon in the men's 1000m short track at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Wang Meng, who is now a TV commentator after retirement, said, 'Oh my, this is really unexpected.'" This implies that there was no clear mistake made by Hwang Daeheon during the race.

Earlier that day, Hwang Daeheon crossed the finish line first in heat 1 of the men's 1000m semifinals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. However, he was disqualified for changing lanes late while overtaking another skater. As a result, Chinese skaters Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong, who finished second and third, advanced to the final as first and second place. Lee Junseo, who was in heat 2 of the semifinals, also crossed the finish line second but was disqualified for the same reason.

Regarding the questionable decision, KBS commentator Lee Jeongsu said, "(On the contrary) this is a play that deserves applause worldwide," and expressed disbelief, saying, "This should have won a technical award, so why was it a disqualification?" MBC commentator Ahn Sangmi also questioned the referees’ decision, calling it "an incomprehensible ruling."

SBS commentator Park Seunghui also stated, "I am speechless because it is absurd. I wonder why such a decision was made," and pointed out, "Li Wenlong lost his balance alone. If there was a collision, Hwang Daeheon’s movement should have been involved, but there was no such movement."

Meanwhile, Wang Meng was known domestically as the "King of Fouls" and "Bad Hand" for deliberately engaging in physical confrontations against the Korean team during her skating career. Notably, in the 2013 Short Track World Championships held in Hungary, Wang Meng intentionally pushed Korean skater Park Seunghui, causing her to fall in the women's 3000m event.

On the 5th, Wang Meng was criticized for making rude remarks about Korean skater Park Janghyuk’s fall during the mixed relay 2000m quarterfinals in short track. Wang Meng sarcastically said, "She fell well," adding, "She fell alone. It can’t be helped. I don’t know how to sympathize with her," and mocked, "Who is she going to blame now?"

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