Overcoming a Ruptured Intestine and Dislocated Shoulder… Kim Young-geon Wins Paralympic Table Tennis Singles Gold
Defeating World No. 1 and Earning 5th Gold Medal “Keeping My Promise of Giving My Wife Gold”
“I really miss my wife. I just want to see her soon.”
On the 7th (local time) at the South Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France, where the finals of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Table Tennis Men’s Singles (Sports Grade MS4) were held, the first person that came to mind for Kim Young-geon (40), who defeated world No. 1 Wanchai Chai Ut (Thailand) in a close full-set match, was his wife.
He said, “I got married in January 2021, but I had to train at a training camp the whole time to prepare for the Tokyo Games,” and smiled brightly, saying, “I’ve finally kept my promise to give her a gold medal.” 토토사이트 추천
On this day, Kim Young-geon defeated Chae-woot 3-2 (6-11 11-9 11-7 9-11 11-5) to win the gold medal.
Kim Young-geon, who has won gold medals since the 2004 Athens Paralympics, won his fifth Paralympic gold medal and tied for second place with the most gold medals by a Korean Paralympic athlete.
In 1997, when he was 13, he suffered from myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord that affects nerve function, and he could no longer stand.
He started playing table tennis at a welfare center for the disabled when he was 16, and showed extraordinary talent and earned the Taegeuk mark.
At his first Paralympic Games, the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, he won the table tennis individual singles and team event, becoming a 'surprise double crown'.
He also won a gold medal in the individual singles and a silver medal in the team event at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the men's team event.
At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics held in 2021, he won silver medals in both the singles and team events, but he missed the gold medal he had promised his wife, and it left him with regret.
There were many twists and turns leading up to this gold medal.
Kim Young-geon suffered from shoulder dislocation symptoms in April, and also suffered from an intestinal rupture while exercising too hard.
Kim Young-geon said, “At the time, it was a serious situation to the point where I had to receive a blood transfusion,” and “I was very stressed, but I was able to overcome it with the help of the coach, medical team, and scientific support team.”
At this Paralympic Games, Korea surpassed its goal for the first time by winning five gold medals and ranking 20th overall.
It also had the double joy of producing an Athletes’ Commission member for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Won Yu-min (36), the first naturalized Paralympian with a disability, received a total of 296 votes in the voting held for participating athletes from the 26th of last month to the 5th of this month, becoming one of the top six Athletes’ Commission members.
IPC Athletes’ Commission members represent athletes and set the direction of global sports policies for the disabled and speak out.
The term of office is four years.