Lee Yeon-kyoung of South Korea celebrates her victory in this file photo taken on Nov. 25, 2010 after winning the women’s 100-meter hurdles in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. / Korea Times file
For Lee Yeon-kyoung, the 29-year-old Korean women’s 100-meter hurdler, age is nothing but another obstacle she needs to jump over, as she did with her Asiad triumph last year.
The nation’s first-ever Asian Games gold medalist in a sprint event appears poised to improve her own records ahead of the World Championships Daegu 2011 in August.
“I wanted to show nothing is impossible,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times last Tuesday. “I kept breaking my own records last year and eventually ruled at the Asiad at the age of 29.”
“By becoming Korea’s first-ever sprint champion, I wanted to prove all the speculation around me was wrong,” she added.
The oldest hurdler on the women’s national team has set new national records in the 100-meter hurdles since 2004, including the latest one of 13.00 seconds last year.
She, however, was viewed in a negative way since the 2006 Asian Games in Doha where she won bronze in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, and such skepticism peaked at the beginning of the last year as she turned 30 in Korean age.
“Many people said my peak was in 2006, though I continued to run faster,” she said. Lee thanked three men — Oh Dong-jin, president of the Korea Association of Athletics Federations (KAAF), Sergei Tivasof, a Russian coach, and Lee Jung-joon, a men’s 110-meter hurdler and also her boyfriend — for helping her to surpass the negative expectations of her.
Oh encouraged Lee to reach this far with incentives, including a promise of a trip around the world if she won at the Asiad, which she did. Although Lee has yet to enjoy her reward due to a busy schedule of training and interviews, she appreciates Oh’s motivation.
Lee also appreciated the great help from her Russian coach who has trained her since last May.
“While I continued to develop myself, I admit coach Tivasof boosted me to discover my strengths and become this successful,” Lee said.
The Russian led her to improve her speed and power.
“The hurdles in the women’s event are lower than those in the men’s, and speed and power are the deciding factors in our event,” Lee explained.
“By training with the Russian coach, I began to build up my know-how in taking the appropriate steps in hurdling and running,” she said.
Lee also appreciates her boyfriend, a member of the national team. Lee Jung-joon, 26, helped her with hurdling skills and gave her advice on ways to overcome the possible obstacles she could face with age. He also introduced her to Brigitte Foster-Hylton of Jamaica, the 2009 World Championships women’s 100-meter hurdles champion last August.
“While I was overseas training early last year in Jamaica, my boyfriend introduced me to Foster-Hylton,” Lee said.
“I told her that I was worried about my age, and Foster-Hylton encouraged me by saying ‘age is nothing but a petty obstacle,’ which she proved in action by winning the world championships months later in Berlin.”
“Her triumph inspired me to keep a positive mind and led to what I am now,” she explained.
Lee is confident that she will advance to the world championships to be held at home soil on her own by setting a time of 12.96, the qualifying standard set by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The record which she focuses on with Tivasof is only a part of Lee’s ambition in Daegu, as she aims to break the 12.96-second mark in the competition.
“Not only do I want to participate on the world stage on my own, but also I am looking forward to setting another national record by breaking the 12.96 mark in the competition,” Lee said.
She apparently feels a burden from local fans and the media anticipation for her to win the race among the world-class competitors. Lee admitted she has many things left to do to reach that level.
“What we should look at is the fact the national athletes have gradually but persistently grown to this level,” she said.
“The fans and the media may be disappointed if I don’t win the race, but considering that I am also aiming for the London 2012 Olympics, the world championships is just one stopover that lies in my path to reach the ultimate goal,” she explained.
(The Korea Times)
She seems to be so strong.
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