“I was at the bottom (of the leaderboard) and then I came up and saw the three of them together in 1-3. I’m glad I got a medal in the end, but I’m disappointed (not to sweep).”
That was the first word out of the mouth of silver medalist Park Jin-ho (Sport Class SH1-Chengzhou City) in the joint press area after the Shooting R1 (SH1 Men’s 10m Air Rifle) medal ceremony at the Hangzhou 2022 Para Asian Games at the Fuyang Throat Sports Center in Hangzhou, China on Wednesday. Lee Jang-ho (SH1, Cheongju City Government), who stood on the Asian podium for the first time in his life, also said, “I thought the three of us would be in the medal round together, but I’m very disappointed.” The Korean Para Shooting Team took a 1-2 finish in the R1 final with Lee Jang-ho shooting a total of 244.6 and Park Jin-ho shooting a total of 244.5. Kim Soo-wan (Sport Class SH1-Gyeongnam Para Sports Federation), who was in third place until the 18th shot, fell just short of a medal as he lost to Dongqiao of China by 0.2 points on the 19th shot.
Lee Jang-ho, the ‘youngest of the young’ at 34, who held off a steady charge from midway through the competition, said: “Korean athletes score very high in our training center. We compete with each other all the time, which helped us a lot in the final,” he said, explaining the secret of the ‘shooting powerhouse’. “The level of Korean athletes is very high, and the selection and national competitions are very competitive,” said Park Jin-ho.
The scene of the domestic brawl, which resembled a real-life training session for Korean athletes, was a nail-biter, with medals separated by just 0.1 points. Park Jin-ho was in the thick of the action, bouncing back from a slow start to take second place on his 13th foot. “I was feeling really bad since yesterday evening,” he said. I woke up this morning with a fever of over 38 degrees. I took two Tylenol and ran,” he said, reflecting on his performance, “I thought, ‘I’m just going to see one shot (on the target) until I get it,’ and I saw that one shot and I was able to follow it without making any mistakes.”
Lee Jang-ho also said, “I was very nervous today. Due to the nature of my disability (spinal cord disorder), it was difficult for me to adjust to my bed after coming to Hangzhou, so I was up and down all night,” he said. “My eyes were tired, and I was also tired from traveling to the World Championships in Peru last month, which also affected my performance.” “I will use this tournament as a springboard to become a better athlete,” added Lee, who surpassed senior Park Jin-ho, who has eight medals (three gold) at the Asian Para Games.
Meanwhile, the duo will aim for the gold and silver on the first day of Para shooting in Korea on Friday in the mixed R3 (SH1 Men’s 10m Air Rifle) event. 토스카지노