By Seol Ha-eun – Hangzhou Commonwealth Games Foundation = Wheelchair athlete Chung Jong-dae (38, Busan, South Korea) shook off the disappointment of the previous day to win his first gold medal at the Para-Asian Games.
Chung was the first to cross the finish line in 32.43 seconds in the men’s T52 200m final at the Hangzhou 2022 Para-Athletics Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province on Friday.
Starting from track 5, Chung dominated the early stages of the race and held off Kuratthanasiri Pichaya (Thailand-33.69) by a comfortable margin.
Chung had finished just 0.02 seconds behind the second-place finisher in the 100-meter final the day before to take bronze, but he put a smile on his face by winning his main event, the 200 meters.
“Losing second place yesterday actually helped me,” he said after the race, “I focused on not making mistakes in the main event, and I’m glad it led to a good result.”
He also thanked his grandfather, who took care of him like a father when he was younger.
Chong used to play wheelchair rugby, but his grandfather encouraged him to switch to track and field because it was less injury-prone.
His grandfather, who had a special love for his grandson, passed away in 2014, the year he was first selected to represent the country in track and field.
“After yesterday’s race, I received a lot of encouraging calls. I especially want to say thank you to (Korean Para Athletics Federation) President Park Heung-sik,” he said.
“I have never won a gold medal at an international competition, so I really wanted to win this time,” he said, adding, “My gold, silver and bronze collection is now complete.”
Chung won bronze in the 200 meters in Incheon in 2014 and silver in the 200 meters and bronze in the 100 meters in Indonesia in 2018.
He will go for another medal in the 400 meters on Sunday. “I will clear my mind and take it easy,” he said. 스포츠토토