The Korean short track speed skating is recognized all over the world. “It is harder to be selected as a national representative player than to win a gold medal at the Olympics” It is a short track speed skating where the athletes’ individual abilities are remarkable in Korea.
The short track is called a short track because it plays on a short track of 111.12m long, about a quarter of the speed skating track length (400m). There are a total of eight categories of men’s and women’s 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m men’s and women’s men’s 5,000m relay and women’s 3,000m relay. For the past 20 years, Korea has maintained its position as a short-track powerhouse, starting with Kim Ki-hoon’s 1000m gold medal and the men’s 5000m relay gold medal at the 16th France Albertville competition in 1992.
It is Korea’s representative sports so far that 42 out of 53 medals won by Korean players in total 7 times from the Albertville Winter Olympic which won the first medal in 1992 to Sochi Winter Olympic in 2014 came out from the short track. In 2006, at the Torino Winter Olympics in Italy, Korea achieved six gold medals in eight short track categories. As such, Korea is one of the best in the world in short track speed skating.
Therefore, there are many cases where the players from the national players of the Republic of Korea are appointed as the coaches of the foreign national teams. Foreign media are also interested in why Korea is strong in short track speed skating. So why are Korean players strong in the short track speed skating?
Korean body type
A short track is called a disadvantage if it is too big. Unlike speed skating, the short track is a cornering winning potint. On a short track where you need to speed up the curve, if you are too tall, you have a lot of weight and there is a risk of bouncing off the corners due to centrifugal force.
In fact, the height of the world-famous shock track players was not tall. Experts say that the short track is a good fit for athletes between 165 and 175 cm and that it could be a more favorable event for Asian players than Western players. Because the small body is advantageous when you turn the corner, the Asian people are more advantageous in the short track speed skating game.
Accumulated Know-How
It is Korea that has already dominated 20 years in the position of a short track world number one. During that time, the know-how learned and understood by the top athletes was well communicated to the young players. It is said that the gloves to reduce the frictional force when cornering are made based on the know-how accumulated by Korean players. So Korean players will be able to get training in far superior conditions compared to other country players. Therefore, there are many countries trying to attract our players to foreign countries who covet this know-how.
Fierce competition
It is true that “It is harder to be selected as a national representative player than to win a gold medal at the Olympics” is a reputation in the short track world. In order to become a minority national player with a lot of outstanding players, short track skaters in Korea have to win a fierce competition. The players who have already become national representatives through the rough process will have grown more than other national players. It also can not ignore the synergies that the excellent players compete with each other.
High-intensity training
Korean-American short track athlete Simon Jo said in an interview that Korean culture, which is training hard, is the background to keep the world top. “Korean players are much more intense and stronger than foreign players,” he added. “I have been training with Korean players and I have played well, and their training programs are very well organized.”
It is true that the strength, concentration and ability of the athletes will grow tremendously in enduring hard training. Even within the well-known Taereung Village (Korea National Training Center), which is famous for its large amount of practice, short track athletes digest more cruel training