By Yoo Jee-ho
JINCHEON, South Korea, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean epee fencer Song Se-ra appears to be peaking just in time for the Asian Games starting next month, having bagged her second career world title last month in Hong Kong.
The 32-year-old said Thursday she will be ready for a fresh set of challenges when the top Asian multisport competition kicks off Sept. 19 in the Japanese prefecture of Aichi. At her Asian Games debut three years ago, Song won the individual silver medal behind teammate Choi In-jeong and combined with Choi for the team gold medal.
"I had those great results at my first Asian Games, but I will not be content with them. I will go into this year's event with a new mindset," Song said at the South Korean delegation's joint press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 85 kilometers south of Seoul.
"I have been performing well of late, and I feel like I am at my best when I can stay locked in on my own performance, and not worry about results or other athletes," Song added. "So I will try to enjoy myself out there."
Vaulter Yeo Seo-jeong will also compete at her second Asian Games this fall, with her debut coming in 2018 in Jakarta, where she was crowned the continental champion.
When Yeo skipped the 2023 Asian Games to participate in the world championships to win a spot in the 2024 Olympics, North Korean An Chang-ok emerged as the new Asiad champion.
Yeo, the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, acknowledged An as "a great athlete" but added she will not worry about what An or anyone else will do in Japan this fall.
"My area of strength is different than hers," Yeo said. "I will not get too conscious of her presence and will instead try to focus on my own performance."
Weightlifter Park Hye-jeong is another athlete bracing for a tough competition against a world-class opponent. Park won the 2023 Asian Games gold medal in the women's +87 kilograms, in the absence of the world record holder from China, Li Wenwen.
Li missed that event because of an injury. But she bounced back to defend her Olympic gold medal in 2024, with Park finishing a distant second, and the Chinese will be rightfully considered a heavy favorite at this year's Asian Games.
"When I found out she will compete, I was a bit surprised," Park said. "And since this is my second Asian Games, I am feeling a little more pressure than the last time. But I am also trying to channel that into something more positive. I will try to bring home a medal."
Boxer Im Ae-ji will take her third crack at an Asian Games medal, after losing in her very first bouts at each of the past two competitions. She said her goal is to at least reach the final this time.
Im, 27, does have an Olympic medal under her belt. With her bronze in the women's 54kg event at Paris 2024, Im became South Korea's first medalist in women's boxing.
She spoke about how she has since had to deal with the weight of expectations accompanying Olympic medalists.
"Even though I have been winning many bouts since the Olympics, I have been disappointed with the quality of my performances," Im said. "There were times when I even felt like maybe other athletes and coaches were overestimating me. As I prepare for the Asian Games, I am trying to have more faith in myself."
While individual athletes for South Korea have thrived at recent competitions, it has been a different story in team sports, no more so than basketball and volleyball. Both the men's basketball and volleyball teams failed to reach the podium at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Captains for those two teams vowed Thursday things will be different this time.
"This is my third Asian Games, and I have not won a gold medal yet," said Lee Seong-hyun, forward for the men's basketball team. He won bronze in 2018 but was shut out in 2023. "We are still not a complete team yet with some players out with injuries. But once they come back, I think we will be an even better team."
Cha Young-seok, the volleyball captain, was not with the national team when South Korea was eliminated from medal contention in Hangzhou even before the opening ceremony, but he said he felt the sting of the defeat from afar.
"It was tough to watch from here, but I know the guys have a much different mindset this time," Cha said. "I think people can count on us to bring home better results this time."
