 South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan, front, swims next to Michael Phelps of the United States in the final of the men’s 200-meter freestyle at the National Aquatics Center at the Beijing Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday. / Joint Press Corps |
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Prediction is the most dangerous game in sports, as the future is never a straight line from the present.
However, nothing captivates the imagination of the casual sports fan like a tantalizing teenage talent showing a glimpse of his otherworldly abilities that have the wide-eyed media spending massive amounts of ink and electrons debating what more is to come.
Such an athlete is Park Tae-hwan, the 18-year-old South Korean swimming sensation who just became the winner of the country's most talked-about silver medal in history.
Park finished second to American Michael Phelps in the men's 200-meter freestyle competition held at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing Tuesday, silencing doubters who downplayed his chances of reaching the podium in short-distance events.
The silver comes just two days after he claimed the gold in the 400-meter freestyle, and Park could add to his Olympic hardware in the upcoming 1,500-meter freestyle competition.
It seemed impossible for Park to live up to his pre-Olympic hype, already being one of the country's most transcendent sports stars, along the lines of Manchester United footballer Park Ji-sung, and becoming ubiquitous in television commercials and newspaper advertisements.
However, Park, seemingly unfazed by all the attention, is somehow finding a way to exceed expectations.
If Park is a young athlete who just started to scratch the surface of his potential, the triumph of Phelps marks the full arrival of what looks as a once-in-a-generation talent.
It was clear from the start that Park, or any other athlete, wouldn't put up a meaningful challenge in Phelp's quest for his third gold in Beijing. The 23-year-old American finished at a historic time of 1:42.96, nearly a second faster than his old world record and nearly two seconds ahead of Park at 1:44.85.
It bears further watching whether Park could improve and develop as a convincing rival to Phelps, but Tuesday was a good start.
Park's triumph somehow overshadowed the gold by fellow countryman Jin Jong-oh, who topped the competition in the men's 50-meter pistol. The country's top marksman had developed a reputation for wilting under pressure in big moments, but found a way to prevail this time.
Not all was well for Korean athletes Tuesday as Greco-Roman wrestling hopeful Jung Ji-hyun failed on his bid to defend his 2004 Athens Olympic gold in the 60-kilogram class.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
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