Gold Medalist Eyes Glory in Short Track and Speed Skating

The thing most dreaded by an Olympic gold medalist is “aftereffect,” referring to the difficulty in repeating success in the next Olympics due to loss of motivation to achieve a specific goal.

Lee Seung-hoon won one gold and one silver medal at this year`s Vancouver Winter Olympics in speed skating, a sport in which he competed in for the first time. His success came just seven months after he left short track for speed skating.

In an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo at Korea National Sport University Wednesday, he was tightening his skate strings. To him, the aftereffect of the Olympics seems like a symptom suffered by other athletes.

○ ‘More goals to attain’

“I attained the toughest goal of winning an Olympic gold medal but have many other goals yet to attain,” he said. “I’d like to join the national short-track team and win gold in the sport as well. As a short-track skater, I participated in many competitions and won medals but have yet to win medals at the Asian Games and Olympics.”

He will go to the national team trials for short track in September and speed skating in October. No skater in the world has won medals in both sports. “I want to be the first in the world. It’ll obviously be difficult but there’s no reason I won’t be able to,” he said.

Should he make the national teams for both sports, he aims to win a gold medal at the Winter Asian Games in Kazakhstan next year. “I’ll hear criticism if I, as an Olympic gold medalist, perform poorly at next year’s Winter Asian Games. Nevertheless, I think such criticism will help motivate me to thoroughly prepare for the following event.”

○ ‘Watching the video clip of my gold medal thousands of times’

After returning from Canada, he said he has watched the video footage of him winning the gold medal numerous times. “No matter how many times I watch it, I never get bored. I think I’ve watched the image thousands of times by storing the video clip on my computer and mobile phone," he said.

"Watching my emotions and posture at that moment, I conduct image training on my own. This video clip is the most efficient motivator for me.”

Compliments he received after winning the gold have also stimulated the 22-year-old. “I thought I’d hate training after returning to Korea, but I try even harder here. I think I’m the kind of person who works even harder when I hear compliments,” he said.

On what has changed about him, he said confidence, economic betterment and public interest,” adding with a smile, “None of them are bad.”

“I have so many things I`ve yet to do. I’ve found training to be even more exciting.”

creating@donga.com