- South Korea has won 131 medals at the Asian Games, second only to China
- Jung Cheol-won was eliminated in the 3000 meter relay by Taiwan’s Huang Yu-lin
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Taiwan took the gold medal in the men’s 3000m roller skating relay in hilarious circumstances after the South Korean leader picked the wrong moment to celebrate what should have been a stunning victory.
South Korea have already collected an impressive 131 medals at the Games – behind only traditional powerhouse China (257) in terms of medals won – but are set to spoil their luck after Jung Cheol-won managed to snatch silver from the jaws of gold.
While the South Korean trio led the way as the finish line approached, Jung chose to raise his arms in victory just before the end in Huangzhou, China.
However, he may not have realized that Taiwan’s Huang Yu-lin was hot on his heels as the race approached a thrilling climax.
As a result of his premature celebration, the South Korean saw the gold fall through his fingers at the very last moment, losing by a hundredth of a second and giving Taiwan a memorable victory, taking the medal tally to 38.
Huang Yu-lin (left) guided Jung Cheol-won (right) to the finish after the South Korean’s premature celebrations
Jung raised his arms at the finish, thinking he had won gold for his country
South Korea has won the second-most medals of any country at the Asian Games so far, but took silver instead of gold in the men’s 3,000-meter roller skating relay
‘I made quite a big mistake. I didn’t get to the finish at full speed. I let down my guard too soon,” Jung said after letting his concentration slip at the crucial moment.
‘I’m very sorry. I apologize to my teammates and to our fans who supported us. We all worked really hard for this, and it’s all my fault.”
It was the end of a perhaps disappointing Games for Jung, who was also narrowly edged out of the final of the 1000 meter sprint on Sunday by fellow countryman Choi Gwang-ho.
While teammates Choi and Choi In-ho joined Jung on the podium to receive their silver medals, the Taiwanese trio had Huang’s quick thinking to thank for their shocking gold.
Huang admitted he noticed Jung’s mistake and drew on his coach’s lessons to put the South Koreans on the post.
“I realized they were celebrating, but I wanted to tell them that while you were celebrating, I was still fighting,” he said.
‘I wasn’t sure if I would have reached the finish in time.
‘I was so sorry that I came just a little bit short and then the result came on the screen and it showed that I had won by a hundredth of a second, and that was just a miracle.’
Huang (center) was joined on stage by Chao Tsu-cheng (left) and Chen Yan-cheng (right)
Huang admitted that it was a “miracle” that he was able to snatch a gold from under Jung’s nose