Young athlete is Olympic hopeful

For the fearless, new and powerful Taekwondo athlete Shin Joon-Sik, 20 of Kyonghee University, there is nothing to be afraid of. This indomitable and ambitious spirit he earned rom the pains of defeats. He doesn`t become timid, however strong an enemy comes out.

The final selection has been made for the Taekwondo national representative in the male, 68-kilogram category for the Sydney Olympics on April 10.

When Shin Joon-Sik earned the Taeguk (Korean flag) mark, not only were Taekwondo players stunned, but also important figures in the sports world were simply amazed. The shock came because it was forecast that the spot would go to either Roh Hyun-Koo of Korea Sports University, the 1999 world champion, or Kim Byong-Wook of S-One, the 1995 world champion and winner of the semifinals of the 1999 World Championship.

Shin has a somewhat undersized body with a height of 173 centimeters. Because there are remnants of youthfulness in his face, one does not get the feeling that he is the best in Taekwondo.

But once he stands on the mattress, he brings opponent under control like an angry tiger, with a flexibility like a rubber band, a diversity of techniques, superior speed and lightning-like kicks. With power added to these, Shin gives the sense that there is no feeling of insecurity regarding winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

Shin is a Taekwondo warrior who has become as mature as his pains. He was selected as a national representative player in 1997 when he was a senior at the Pungsaeng High School in Seongnam, thereby becoming a highly hoped for athlete and getting a lot of attention.

However, during the first heat of the preliminary of the World Cup held in Cairo that year, he had the painful experience of falling down meaninglessly, after which he had to experience the further pain of having to disappear to the backstage for a while.

However, the defeat on that day proved to be medicine for him. He acknowledged deep in his heart that had been like a frog in a well, and it proved to be an opportunity for concentrating on his efforts on training.

Two years later, at the end of last year, he won the preliminary in the race for national representative election, and he appeared full-scale on stage, grasped the ticket to Sydney in the end, and became established as a star.

Choi Jung-Do, National Team coach, said that although Shin Joon-Sik`s having a lack of international contest experiences is a weak point, his headlong, offensive play, on the contrary, heightens the possibility of winning a gold medal.