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Korean delegation arrives in Sochi

February 3, 2014
Korean athletes and officials began arriving in Sochi, Sunday. (Yonhap)

Korean athletes and officials began arriving in Sochi, Sunday. (Yonhap)

Korean speed-skater Lee Kyou-hyuk, right, and coach Kim Jae-yeol arrive at the Adler-Sochi International Airport in Russia, Sunday (KST), five days before the start of the Winter Olympics. (Yonhap)

Korean speed-skater Lee Kyou-hyuk, right, and coach Kim
Jae-yeol arrive at the Adler-Sochi International Airport in Russia, Sunday (KST), five days before the start of the Winter Olympics. (Yonhap)

By Baek Byung-yeul

Korean athletes and officials began arriving in Sochi, Sunday (KST), five days before the start of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games.

Team Korea enters the Sochi Games with unprecedented expectations, sending a record 71 athletes who will compete in every competition except for ice hockey.

The goal is to win at least five gold medals and add to the build-up for the 2018 Games to be held in the Korean town of PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.

Forty-six Korean Olympians arrived at the Black Sea resort town after a 13-hour flight early Sunday and the rest of the athletes are expected to unpack at the Olympic Village in the next few days.

Veteran speed-skater Lee Kyou-hyuk, who will be Korea’s flag-carrier at the opening ceremony at Fisht Olympic Stadium on Feb. 7, admitted that the athletes were feeling the pressure to perform well.

“Being chosen to carry our nation’s flag gives me a heightened sense of responsibility,” said Lee, a 36-year-old preparing for his last shot at Olympic glory, after arriving at the Adler-Sochi International Airport.

“I will try my best. I know I don’t have much time left in this sport.”

Lee, who has won the world championships multiple times, will be making his sixth Olympic appearance, the most ever by a Korean.

Choi Jae-woo, the 20-year-old prospect in mogul skiing, will be making his first. Choi believes he has a shot at Olympic hardware.

While Choi is placed 18th in the International Ski Federation (FIS) world rankings, he has been peaking at the right time, finishing fifth in the recent World Ski Championships in Norway.

“I have prepared hard for the Olympics. I went through many difficulties,” Choi told reporters.

“I have nothing to lose. I will enjoy this experience fully.”

Won Yun-jong, the 29-year-old who will pilot Korea’s two-man and four-man bobsled teams, continued to talk about the big picture down the road. While Won and his teammates raised expectations for a respectable performance in Sochi after winning two golds in two-man events at the North America Cup in Lake Placid, New York, last month, he sees the upcoming Olympics as a growing experience. By 2018, Won and his teammates hope to be contending for a medal.

“I don’t feel much different. In Sochi, I will try to do the same things I always do,” Won said.

Noh Sun-young, 25, who will represent Korea in the women’s speed skating events, was less talkative. She is the sister of Noh Jin-kyu, the Korean ace in the men’s short-track speed skating, whose athletic career is at a crossroads after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous bone tumor in his left shoulder blade.

Reigning Olympic speed-skating champions Lee Sang-hwa and Mo Tae-bum are expected to arrive in Sochi on Feb. 4. Figure skating megastar Kim Yu-na will arrive on Feb. 12.