Jeong Cheol-won (Andong City Hall), who missed the gold medal for himself and his team due to a last moment of inattention, repeatedly said, “I’m sorry.” After receiving the silver medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games roller skating speed men’s 3000m relay awards ceremony, he met with reporters스포츠토토 and said, “My mistake was too big. “I’m sorry to my (fellow) players and I’m sorry to the many people who supported me,” he said with a sad face.
Jeong Cheol-won competed with Choi Kwang-ho (Daegu City Hall) and Choi In-ho (Nonsan City Hall) in the men’s 3000m relay at the Zhejiang Hangzhou Qiantang Roller Sports Center in Zhejiang, China on the 2nd and took second place. Korea maintained the lead until just before the finish line, and the last runner, Jeong Cheol-won, finished the race with both hands raised in the thought that ‘it was done’. At this moment, the Taiwanese runner stretched out his feet and the final ranking changed. The record was 4 minutes 5.702 seconds, 0.01 seconds difference from Taiwan.
The national team, in despair after checking the official records belatedly, passed by the common coverage area (mixed zone) with tears in their eyes, and only opened their mouths after the awards ceremony was over. Jeong Cheol-won said, “I made the mistake of letting my guard down and not riding (the roller) until the end. (After the game, he told his teammates), ‘We worked hard together, but I’m so sorry.’” He escaped the mixed zone with the comfort of Choi Kwang-ho.
Jeong Cheol-won won the silver medal in the men’s 1000m sprint the previous day, only 0.002 seconds behind Choi Gwang-ho (1 minute 29.497 seconds). Then, as they lost their victory in the relay race with a hasty ceremony, Jeong Cheol-won and Choi In-ho were unable to receive military service benefits that are only given to Asian Games gold medalists. Choi Kwang-ho, who won the 1,000m gold medal, is known to have already been exempted from military service due to ulcerative colitis.On the other hand, Lee Ye-rim, Lee Seul, and Park Min-jung, who won the silver medal in the women’s 3000m relay earlier on the same day, stood on the podium with bright smiles, contrasting with the men’s team. The three athletes recorded a time of 4 minutes 21.146 seconds in the final, crossing the finish line second after first place Chinese Taipei (4 minutes 19.447 seconds).