Jin Ho-joon (Suwon City Hall), who won a silver medal at the World Championships as the “favorite” to succeed retired coach Lee Dae-hoon in the men’s 68-kilogram taekwondo category, has vowed to win gold at the Asian Games.
JIN Ho-joon (KOR) won the silver medal in the men’s 68kg final on the first day of the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships at the Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sept. 29 (local time), defeating Bradley Sinden (GBR) by a round score of 0-2.
“From the day I came here to Azerbaijan, I was really eager every day. I came here thinking only about first place, but I’m still satisfied.”
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World No. 6 Jin Ho-joon defeated top opponents such as Zaid Karim (Jordan – No. 2) in the quarterfinals and Ulugbek Rashitov (Uzbekistan – No. 3) in the semifinals to reach the final, but he was unable to overcome the barrier of No. 1 Sinden.
“My quarterfinal and semifinal opponents are all the players I will face at the (Hangzhou) Asian Games. I’ve been watching and analyzing videos and doing a lot of research, so I will definitely finish first and win the gold medal at the Asian Games,” he said.
Jin Ho-joon, born in 2002, is expected to take over the reins of the weight class after national coach Lee Dae-hoon retires after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Jin won the World Grand Prix in Manchester, England, last October, and also won a silver medal at his first world championships, raising his profile.
On being labeled as the ‘post-Lee Dae-hoon’, Jin Ho-joon said, “Of course I feel pressure. I’m glad that I can fill the void that Dae-hoon left behind.”
He added, “He told me a lot of good things when I was in the athletes’ village before, and I reflected them in my game. Thanks to him, I was able to play a good game,” she said, thanking her ‘coach’ Lee Dae-hoon.
Meanwhile, Lee Hanna (Daejeon Cheego), who lost in the quarterfinals of the women’s 57-kilogram category, regretted that she was nervous at her first World Championships and was unable to show her best performance.
Lee is a newcomer to the sport after winning the women’s 59-kilogram category at last year’s World Taekwondo Youth Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
This time, however, she lost her quarterfinal match against eventual champion Luana Marton (HUN) by a round score of 1-2.메이저놀이터
“My foot didn’t work well at the crucial moment, and I was very nervous because it was my first time competing at the World Championships,” Lee admitted.
“I was nervous because it was a youth tournament, but there were a lot of players who went to the Olympics (here),” she said, comparing the youth tournament she won last year to her first time competing for the adult national team.
“I still have a lot to work on. I will improve and become a better player.”