“Don’t panic, I’m not that good yet”
“When I saw the bracket, I panicked. My goal was to win gold no matter who I met, but I don’t think my skills were up to par yet.”
South Korea’s Olympic wrestling team member Lee Seung-chan (28, Gangwon-do Athletic Association) took a knee in the first bout of the Paris 2024 Games.
Lee fell 0-7 to Cuba’s Mihayn Lopez in the round of 16 in the men’s Greco-Roman 130-kilogram category at the Champs de Mars Arena in Paris, France, on Friday (local time).
For Lee, who was competing in his first Olympics, Lopez, who was looking to win his fifth consecutive Olympic title, was a tough opponent. Lopez is the reigning four-time Olympic champion, having won the 120-kilogram category at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and the 130-kilogram category at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Born in 1982, Lopez is still at the top of his game at the ripe old age of 30.
For Lee, Lopes is someone he would love to fight again. Although they haven’t met officially, he said he had a strong impression of López in training after the last Hungarian Ranking Series match. “He’s an old man, but when I faced him, he was as strong as a wall. I felt like I didn’t lose four matches in a row for nothing,” he said, adding, “If I could meet him in the final, it would be my biggest goal for this tournament.”
However, that meeting came not in the final, but in the first stage. “I was pretty sure that no matter who I met, I was going to make the final and win the gold medal,” Lee said, “but when I saw the bracket, I panicked a bit. But in my mind, I thought, ‘It’s the worst draw, but let’s turn it into a symbol,’ and I vowed to myself, ‘I’ll stick to the process I’ve been working on and play well,'” he recalled.
“I caught him in Hungary last June during the ranking series at Tata during camp training, and after playing with him, I felt like, ‘I can do it with other players,’ but of course, against Lopez, I definitely felt a wall even then,” Lee recalled.
“Lopez had lost a lot of weight (15 kilograms) for this tournament, and it had been a long time since he had played in practice, so I tried to go with a pressure 사설 토토사이트 strategy from the beginning (to take advantage of that), but he was very skilled,” Lee said, adding, “I tried to move forward and try to engage him, but after he rooted me out, he caught me right away and took away my pass, which was unfortunate.”
“I thought I defended everything at the end inside the ground defense line, but I think I lost a lot of flow as I rolled (unsuccessfully). It’s unfortunate,” Lee said, adding, “He’s very skilled. He’s so good at hitting. I don’t think my skills are up to that level yet to keep up with him,” he reflected.
Not the end. According to Olympic rules, if Lopez advances to the final, Lee will compete in the consolation bracket. That will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Lee, who is competing in his first Olympics, said he approached the Games as a way to retire. However, instead of letting go of regrets, he said it has motivated him. “I’m more motivated,” Lee said. The score was 0-7, but I think the content of the game is more important,” he said, adding, “It’s unfortunate that I lost the stand, but I was motivated to overcome it one step at a time.”
He also talked about his first Olympic experience: “It might sound weird, but I think this is the least nervous I’ve ever been in my career. I was actually a little excited. I was so well prepared. I tried to focus on the process,” he reflected.
Lee now awaits the loser’s bracket. “I think Lopes will be in the final more than 90% of the time. If that’s the case, I can play in the loser’s bracket tomorrow. I’ll focus on that.” “Of course, I’m disappointed with the result. But it’s not over yet, so I will wait and focus.”