The South Korean skater’s ventilation cost a lot.
The Taiwanese team won the gold by a very small margin. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
The Asian championships held in China saw a peculiar goal line situation. A South Korean in the 3,000 meter relay final of speed skating, which is contested on roller skates Cheol-won Jung prematurely aired the gold medal and bitterly came second.
Taiwanese Yu-Lin Huang stretched his left skate over the line just 0.01 seconds faster than Jung, who raised his arm.
The Taiwanese didn’t know he won until he saw the results on the board. In the Reuters news, he describes the situation as a miracle. Left for silver, Jung had a different voice on the clock.
– I made a big mistake. I didn’t keep up the pace until the end and dropped my guard too early. I’m very sorry, the South Korean apologized,” Jung told Reuters.
A video of the events at the finish line can be viewed below and from this link.
The silver result is also linked to another by Jung and a member of the relay team Choi In-hon in terms of a sad thing. A gold medal would have brought both of them automatic release from the army, but silver won’t do that.
South Korean men must complete 18 months of military service by the age of 28. The country’s top athletes and, among other things, prominent people in the entertainment industry have the opportunity to stretch the limit to 30 years of age.
Thus, Choi, who was born in 2001, still has a chance to be discharged from the military with a gold medal at the 2026 Asian Championships. Jung turned 27 this year and will not be released.
An Olympic medal can also bring a South Korean man an exemption from the military. Roller skating is not included in the sports coverage of next summer’s Paris Games.