‘Number 1’ of the Korean men’s short track in 2023 is Park Ji-won (27, Seoul City Hall). Until a few years ago, he was pushed by other players such as Hwang Dae-heon (24), but he swept 14 gold medals in the 1st to 6th World Cups this season and rose to the top. Also, at the World Championships held at the ice rink in Mok-dong, Seoul last month, he won the 1500m and 1000m races and rose to the top spot in the world short track rankings.
Park Ji-won, who we recently met at the ice rink in Mok-dong, said, “This World Championship was the first time he won an individual gold medal in front of his parents. I was really proud. Neither of my parents expressed it out loud, but I could feel that they were happy inside,” he said.
Park Ji-won, thanks to his great success this season, does not have to go to the national team selection event to be held at Jincheon Athletes’ Village in Chungbuk until the 23rd. He said, “The competition for the national team is so fierce that it feels like my lifespan is shortening. You don’t know how happy I am that I don’t have to go out this time.”
Still, there is no way to neglect training. Even during the rest period, they run on the ice every day from dawn to late evening. Sometimes, Seoul City Hall colleagues volunteer as training partners. Of course, there is no rest. Park Ji-won said, “The camera is my resting place. He mainly shoots training scenes of his fellow athletes. It’s a hobby that started a year ago with the mindset of ‘let’s record the moment’ through photos and videos. At first, my colleagues were shy, but now they ask me, ‘When are you filming again?’” he said.
Park Ji-won, born in Gangneung in 1996, started his relationship with skating when he was in Gyeongpo Elementary School. At first, he took classes as a hobby. However, his ability to surpass his peers changed his fate. At the time, the instructional coach recommended that he enter the elite, so he focused only on short track. Then, before the second semester of his 6th grade in elementary school, he moved to Hansan Elementary School in Seoul and started to walk the path of a full-fledged player.
Park Ji-won said, “I wasn’t a player who often ranked first. By the time he was in school, he had more silver and bronze medals. So he ran harder,” he recalled. His small body was also a complex. Currently, Park Ji-won’s physique is 1m70cm tall and weighs 65kg. When he was young, he was smaller than his peers and was often pushed back in physical fights. Park Ji-won said, “The downside has become a medicine. He came up with a strategy to win without getting into a physical fight. As a result, he learned how to win first place without the disqualification factor,” he explained.
He grew up strong with his complex as nourishment, but his 20s were a time of trials. He suffered one after another in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics national team selection matches. He had to watch on TV as his teammates wore the Taegeuk mark and won medals. Park Ji-won said, “After becoming a national representative for the first time in the 2015-2016 season, the Olympics were an event that I really wanted to go to and had to go to. But in the end, I couldn’t cross that wall because of my lack of skills.” “Still, I watched all the Olympic games. Just because I fell, I couldn’t turn my back on the short track that I loved so much.” 카지노
After the two Olympics, Park Ji-won was already in her late 20s. Some worried, “Isn’t Park Ji-won over like this?” However, Park Ji-won rose again. She opened her prime this season with the most outstanding performance among the men’s and women’s national teams. This time, her disappointment and frustration became the foundation for her leap forward.
She is Park Ji-won, but she is rarely nervous. When I asked her secret, she said, “I have to exercise until I am satisfied. That way she doesn’t get nervous in front of the start line. That has led to my confidence,” he said. “Some people worry that their main skill, the out-course strategy, will be seen by players from other countries. But I have my own know-how. I will show you a better image next season.”