A skater's early error in celebration means national service for him and his teammate

South Korea's Jung Cheolwon (right) celebrated early, unaware that he had been beaten by Taiwan's Huang Yu-Lin (left). Photo: Yonhap/Reuters

Premature victory celebrations cost South Korea a gold medal at the Asian Games and means team members must now complete at least 18 months of national service.

In the South this is mandatory. Korea for men aged 18 to 28 who can do full national service, but there are sporting exceptions for winning the Olympics or Asian Games.

It looked as if the clearance would be put into effect when Jung Cheol-won entered the final straight of the 3,000m roller relay before he made the fatal mistake of slowing down just before the finish to raise his arms in celebration. Yung was apparently unaware that Taiwan's Huang Yu-Lin was fast approaching, and when they crossed the line together, it was initially unclear who had won. A computerized timing system ultimately confirmed that Taiwan had won the gold by just 0.01 seconds. (See the end of the race below).

Never celebrate too early.

เมื่อวานนี้ Huang Yu-lin นักกีฬาโรลเลอร์สเก็ตชาย 3,000 June 11 ศที่ Cheol Won

Jung Cheol-won 27 years old and his Teammate Choi In Ho is only 23 years old, which means he is now also required to take part in national service, which will last between 18 and 21 months.

“I made a pretty big mistake,” said Jung. “I didn’t reach the finish line at full speed. I let my guard down too early. I'm very sorry.»

Juan, who was disqualified in the 1000-meter sprint, was undecided shortly before the race whether to participate in the relay at all. At first, he also didn't think he had caught Jung.

«I kept telling myself that I didn't want to compete today, but then I looked back at some old social media posts to cheer myself up,» said He. .

“I thought it was such a shame that I was a little short, and then the results came on the screen showing that we had won by one hundredth of a second, and it was just a miracle.” .

Jeon Cheolwon kicks off South Korea's celebrations early. Photo: AFP/Wang Zhao But then it was unclear who won: South Korea or Taiwan. Photo: AFP/Wang Zhao

There was more good news for South Korea's top players, however.

Kim Si-woo, ranked 27th in the world, and Im Sung-jae, ranked 40th place, helped their country win Asian Games gold over second-place Thailand.

This means they are both now exempt from a full period of national service.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min was also given a full 18-21 month release after helping South Korea to victory at the 2018 Asian Games, but ended a much shorter period when the Premier League was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was a tough three weeks, but it was a good experience… I enjoyed it,” Song said.