As he was getting ready for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, South Korean veteran fencer Jung Jin-sun knew all along it would be his last hurrah.
He just didn't want it to end the way it did Tuesday.
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Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald |
The 2012 bronze medalist in the men's individual epee couldn't repeat the feat this time, falling to Enrico Garozzo of Italy in the round of 32.
"I've prepared so hard for my last Olympics, and I am upset at myself for getting only this far," he told Yonhap News Agency after his elimination. "I got a lot of calls from my friends and former coaches saying they'd cheer me on. I am sorry that I couldn't get it done for them."
Jung's early exit was part of a series of disappointing results for South Korean fencing. The country that counted two gold medals among its six medals at the 2012 London Games had been shut out of medals in Rio until Park Sang-young captured the epee gold medal Tuesday.
Among other returning medalists from London, Shin A-lam, who won the team silver in women's epee, lost her second round match in the individual event this year. Kim Ji-yeon, the 2012 women's individual sabre gold medalist, failed to even reach the quarterfinals here.
Jung, one of the elder statesmen for the team at 32, said the fencers are upbeat despite some early travails in Rio. And there's still some fencing left in Rio.
"We all have team competitions remaining, and so we have that to look forward to," he said. "We shouldn't worry about what's already happened. We have to make sure we can have smiles on our faces after the team events."
This was Jung's third Olympics and the build-up was particularly hard because of a knee ligament injury last year.
"This may sound like an excuse, but the injury took the wind out of my sails, and I lost my momentum," Jung said. "I wanted to pick up where I'd left off, but in the end, it didn't quite work out. I will go back and take a look at myself in the mirror."
Jung and another veteran, Park Kyoung-doo, will get a huge boost for the team competition, with Park Sang-young fresh off his individual gold medal. The epee team event is scheduled for Sunday, the final day of fencing. (Yonhap)
