Despite finishing last, S. Korean ski jumper makes history

Published : Feb 13, 2018 - 01:19 Updated : Feb 13, 2018 - 01:19

Although she was the worst performer, South Korean ski jumper Park Guy-lim put her name in the history books of the country’s winter sports on Monday.

Park became the first South Korean woman to compete in the Olympic ski jumping competition after she took part in the women’s normal hill individual qualifying round at the 23rd Winter Games at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul.

(Yonhap)

The 18-year-old failed to make the finals as she scored 14.2 points with a 56-meter jump and finished last among 35 contestants in the qualifying round. Still, she was happy to make her Olympic debut at home. The final round is open only to the top 30 contestants.

“I was having good jumps lately, but that apparently didn’t continue here,” Park said after her qualifying jump. “But I really tried my best to prepare for this stage. I was happy to feel the support of South Korean fans at the Olympics in PyeongChang.”

Park started ski jumping only six years ago. She was able to compete at the PyeongChang Games due to the host nation’s quota, but earned her qualification by getting points from International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cups.

Park said her sights are already on the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.

“I had a good experience this time, so I think I can do better next,” she said. “I will definitely show a better performance four years from now.” (Yonhap)