Despite the ongoing restrictions of COVID-19, South Korea’s men’s sevens team continue to surge forward in preparation for the 2021 Olympic Games.
The team has been running a series of at-home training sessions to ensure all players remain mentally and physically fit during isolation.
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South Korean athlete Jang Seong-Min believes the current health crisis has done little to hinder the team’s desire to succeed at next years Olympics.
“The situation is not easy because of coronavirus, but we continue to uphold our individual training standards for the Olympics,” he said.
“I know that once the health situation begins to improve, we will be right back into training camp as soon as possible.”
South Korea’s men’s sevens team gained automatic qualification to the games by taking out the Asia Rugby Olympic Qualifying Tournament in November last year.
The host nation was dominant throughout the tournament and went on to defeat Hong Kong 12-7 in the Final.
Road To #Tokyo2020 Korea upset Hong Kong in the final to qualify for the @Olympics @KoreaRugbyUnion pic.twitter.com/P1RmEsn3E2
— Asia Rugby (@asiarugby) June 4, 2020
Kim Namuk believes the experience his team gained from last year’s tournament has allowed confidence to grow within the group.
“Apart from the experience we lack on other Olympic sides, we believe we can physically match any other aspect of their game,” he said.
“We have all been maintaining our physical strength through personal training at home.
If we continue to improve our team play, we know there will be good results for us.”
South Korea will partner Japan as Asia Rugby’s representatives at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.
While the team will likely face powerhouses like Fiji and New Zealand, Jang Jungmin trusts that a delayed Olympics will ensure his team is ready for any opposition.
“I think this just gives us more time to prepare,” he said.
“We have all spent isolation studying how the best teams play and compete.
If we continue to do this, I know we will show strong performances at the Olympics and do our country proud.”
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