"17-Year-Old Prodigy's Unique Analogy: 'Skateboarding Is Like Sleep'"

[Anchor]

Yesterday, on the 27th, South Korea produced its first-ever Asian Games gold medalist in skateboarding. He is 17-year-old Kang Jun-i. At a press conference, he expressed his deep affection for the sport with a quirky yet profound analogy, saying, "Skateboarding is like 'sleep.'"

Reporting live from the site, here is reporter Hong Seok-jun.

[Reporter]

Overcoming two previous failures and completing a dramatic comeback on his final, do-or-die third attempt to secure South Korea's first-ever skateboarding gold medal, Kang Jun-i could not sleep until the early morning hours due to the overwhelming lingering emotions.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team: I'm on my way here having barely caught two to three hours of sleep.]

He also shared the story behind shedding tears like a young child upon seeing his mother right after the gold medal was confirmed.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team: It was kind of like, 'Mom, I've finally done it.' I cried because I was so happy thinking that I was finally being a dutiful son to my parents.]

Perhaps due to the nature of the sport, which demands creativity, when asked what skateboarding meant to him, an entirely unexpected answer came back.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team: (Skateboarding is) probably like sleep. There are times when you don't want to sleep, but you still have to sleep anyway. Similarly, there are times when you don't want to skate when a trick isn't working out, but you still have to do it anyway.]

Growing up in poor training conditions and rising to the top by defeating world-class powerhouses from Japan, Kang vowed to stand at the highest podium at the Olympics two years from now.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team: (Japanese skaters) felt like walls that could never be overcome, but my biggest goal is to create even harder and more complex tricks and land all of them successfully at the LA Olympics.]

He also sent words of encouragement to those who have fallen down countless times just like him.

[Kang Jun-i / National Skateboard Team: I hope you will persevere and overcome it steadily, and if you just keep going as you have been, I'm sure you will achieve everything you want.]

Kang, who has moved closer to his childhood dream of becoming the world's number one skater, is now racing toward another "gold-winning trick."

(Camera Reporter: Park Jin-ho, Video Editor: Kim Jun-hee, Design: Hwang Se-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.