adminAfter dominating the Olympic stage and winning gold medals, two Korean taekwondo standouts, Jung Jae-eun (43), a member of the Korean Olympic Committee, and Hwang Kyung-sun (37), coach of the Korean National Taekwondo Team, have been named Best Athlete of each Olympic Games by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).
The WTF announced the top athletes from each Olympic Games at its 50th Anniversary Gala Awards Golden Jubilee held at the Heydar Aliev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday. South Korean athletes Jae-eun Chung, winner of the women’s 57 kilograms at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and her coach Kyung-sun Hwang, winner of the women’s 67 kilograms at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, were recognized. Jung was named the Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the 2000 Games and Hwang the Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the 2012 Games.
“After I retired, I felt like I was being forgotten, so it’s an honor to be recognized with such a meaningful award,” said Hwang at the ceremony. “I was disappointed with my performance in Beijing, but I think I really showed what I was capable of in London,” she said, adding, “I would have been embarrassed if I had been named Most Valuable Player in 2008.” Hwang has been coaching the national team since his retirement, and will also be coaching at the World Championships, which kick off on Sept. 29 and run through Oct. 4.
“When I won the gold medal, I was just happy,” said Chung, who was named the Most Valuable Athlete at the Sydney 2000 Games, the first time taekwondo was an Olympic sport, “but since then, I’ve been trying to live with a more humble mindset, feeling the responsibility of being the first Olympic medalist.”
Since retiring from the sport, Chung has worked as a coach and an expert lecturer at the Sports Ethics Center. He is currently a member of the Athletes’ Affairs Committee of the Korean Sports Federation, where he works as an administrator.
Commissioner Chung and Coach Hwang received special trophies and black sashes in the shape of the competition.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the WTF honored the 12 best male and female athletes who have excelled in the six Olympic Games since taekwondo was included in the Olympic program, from Sydney 2000 to Tokyo 2020. In addition, the top two male and female athletes from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Para Games) were also recognized.토토사이트
As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, WT also held its Delegates’ Assembly, which included representatives from 144 member nations. “This November, a statue of taekwondo will be unveiled at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland,” said WTF President Choi Jung-won, “which will raise the profile of the sport in the Olympic program.” Taekwondo will be the 10th sport to have a statue representing its sport at the Olympic Museum.