Taekwondo fighters look to put past disappointments behind in Incheon

South Korea is the birthplace of the martial art taekwondo, which has long been one of its biggest gold mines at the Olympics and the Asian Games.

South Korea’s taekwondo athletes have especially been dominant at the Asiads with an all-time lead of 47 gold medals. It swept up seven gold medals in 1986 when taekwondo first became a medal sport. In 1998, South Korea won six men’s and five women’s titles and followed that up with 12 gold medals in 2002 and nine in 2006.

The country’s stranglehold was finally loosened at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where it settled for four gold medals. China tied South Korea with four gold medals, and Iran, a rising power in the sport, picked up three titles.

With this year’s Asian Games in the South Korean city of Incheon just a week away, Kim Jong-ki, head coach of the national taekwondo teams, said things will be different this time.

There are 16 weight classes in the Asiad taekwondo competition, and each country is allowed to compete in 12 of them, six each on the men’s and the women’s sides. At the national team media day event at the National Training Center in Seoul on Friday, Kim said the objective is to win up to eight gold medals in Incheon.

“Other countries have made strides in taekwondo, and I understand why some people may be concerned,” Kim said. “But we’re all relaxed and ready to compete. We’re ready to show everyone what we’re capable of doing.”

Kim’s contingent is headlined by Lee Dae-hoon, the two-time world champ and the reigning Asiad gold medalist in the men’s under-63 kg class.

As the most recent winner of the world championships and the Asian championships, Lee doesn’t seem to have much competition on paper. The 22-year-old insisted, however, that nothing will be given to him in Incheon.

“I am grateful for the fans’ support, but I am trying not to let it get to my head,” Lee said. “My mindset going into Incheon is that I can lose any bout if I let my guard down even for a moment.”

Lee was one of the four gold medalists for South Korea at the 2010 Asiad. He said the disappointment from China has further fueled him and his teammates to step up their performance this year.

“We’ve trained for a long time, but I think the coming days leading up to the Asian Games will be even more important for us,” Lee added. “I hope taekwondo can help our country finish second overall in the medal standings.”

Kim Tae-hun, the 2013 world champ in the men’s under-54 kg class, is regarded as another strong medal contender.

He said he doesn’t want to change too much of what he’s done so far.

“I just want to keep doing what I’ve always done, and hopefully that will bring me the gold,” Kim said. “I feel that I have to concentrate even harder for the Asian Games than for the world championships.” (Yonhap)