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July 29, 2009
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“I am more disappointed than anyone else,” said the glum Park after the 200-meter freestyle semifinals. “To be honest, I can’t explain why things are not going well for me at this point.” Park also pointed to the lack of consistent personal coaching leading up to the championships in Rome, Italy. Having signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with SK Telecom last October, an SK support team was organized to cater to Park’s training and other needs. He had also spent time at the Korea National Training Center in northern Seoul with the national team. Though he spent considerable time at both venues, he did not have a personal coach at his side. “I wanted a personal coach who I can focus on training with. But that is not possible under the current system in Korean swimming,” stated Park, referring to a rift within the Korea Swimming Federation. “During the past year, it was tough to endure training under a system that did not seem to have a clear answer.” The national team and the SK Telecom support team reportedly lacked cooperation. Both sides have stated they did not receive adequate progress and training reports. Furthermore, the SK support team was supposed to work on 1,500-meter training with Park, while the national team was to train Park in the 200- and 400-meter events. Both sides have cited lack of time to properly work with the swimmer. However, the Korea Swimming Federation has a different take on the issue. According to Jung Il-chung, the executive director of the federation, Park’s agreement with SK was his personal choice and the federation had nothing do with the SK support team and the decisions it made. “When Park was training with the national team, he trained under coach Roh [Min-sang] as he had done in the past,” explained Jung. “Park was in good condition when he was training with the national team. I believe as the Olympic champion, he was under a lot of psychological pressure during the world championships.” By Jason Kim [jason@joongang.co.kr] |
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