46-year-old Jeon Min-jae wins Para Athletics 100m silver: "I'll run to Paris next year" [sports news]
Jeon Min-jae of South Korea reacts on her smartphone after winning the silver medal in the women's T36 100m final at the Hangzhou 2022 Para-Asian Games on Saturday.
Jeon finished second in the women's T36 100m final with a time of 15.26 seconds on Saturday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Main Stadium in Hangzhou, China. She finished 0.7 seconds behind winner Xu Yiting (CHN) to take the silver medal.
Jeon had the slowest start among the seven competitors. However, she picked up her pace and passed the rest of the field to finish second.
This is the second individual medal for Jeon, who also finished second in the women's T36 200m final on the 23rd to win the first medal for Team Korea at the Games.
Jeon has earned the nickname "Smile Racer" for always smiling after a race, even when it's hard, but on this day, he burst into tears after the race.
As he sat down and sobbed, he pulled out his smartphone and read a letter he had prepared to the press.
Jeon Min-jae (center) of South Korea reacts during the women's T36 100m final at the Hangzhou 2022 ParaAsian Games on Saturday.
Jeon Min-jae, who suffered from an unexplained encephalitis at the age of five that left her unable to pronounce words properly, wrote a letter to her parents, pressing each letter firmly against the screen of her smartphone, despite the fact that her hands were severely distorted, making it difficult for her to write.
'Hello, I'm Minjae Jeon, a track and field athlete,' he began, 'I was frustrated and disappointed because my physique was much lower than other athletes, and I was constantly being beaten by younger athletes, while my record was stagnant and I was constantly being pushed out of the rankings.
However, he added, "I had my own goals, so I kept practicing hard and breathlessly every day to the best of my ability, and as a result, I am so grateful and happy to have this medal around my neck.
Since 2020, Jeon's mother, Han Jae-young, has been helping him with his life and training. He said, "My mom is also elderly, so it must be hard for her, but I feel like she's struggling because of me, so I'm always grateful and sorry. I want to give the honor of this medal to my mom, who has always stood by my side and supported me." She also thanked her father, sister and nephew, as well as her manager, coaches and church.
At the tender age of 46, Jeon was considering retirement. "I will decide whether to compete in the Paralympic Games in Paris after the 100-meter race," he said after the 200-meter final on Aug. 23, but the letter three days later solidified his decision.
"I was thinking about retiring after this competition, but with the encouragement and persuasion of those around me, I decided to give it one last go and try to run until next year's Paralympic Games in Paris," he said.
"Athletics gave me dreams and hope when I was struggling, lonely and frustrated because I couldn't speak and had a handicap. Athletics was my only way out, my friend, and I will say goodbye to it and to the Paris Paralympic Games. I would like to thank everyone who supported me once again," she concluded her tearful letter.
After suffering from severe puberty as a child and believing he would "only live to be 20," he found hope in athletics and is now a "living legend" in Para athletics.
Since making his international debut at the 2008 Paralympic Games, Jeon has made history by winning two silver medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and one silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. At the 2014 Incheon Para-Asian Games, he wrote a letter on his foot saying that he would compete until 2018, but he never gave up and now has his sights set on the Paris Paralympics. Jeon's athletic journey is far from over. 스포츠토토맨
Jeon finished second in the women's T36 100m final with a time of 15.26 seconds on Saturday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Main Stadium in Hangzhou, China. She finished 0.7 seconds behind winner Xu Yiting (CHN) to take the silver medal.
Jeon had the slowest start among the seven competitors. However, she picked up her pace and passed the rest of the field to finish second.
This is the second individual medal for Jeon, who also finished second in the women's T36 200m final on the 23rd to win the first medal for Team Korea at the Games.
Jeon has earned the nickname "Smile Racer" for always smiling after a race, even when it's hard, but on this day, he burst into tears after the race.
As he sat down and sobbed, he pulled out his smartphone and read a letter he had prepared to the press.
Jeon Min-jae (center) of South Korea reacts during the women's T36 100m final at the Hangzhou 2022 ParaAsian Games on Saturday.
Jeon Min-jae, who suffered from an unexplained encephalitis at the age of five that left her unable to pronounce words properly, wrote a letter to her parents, pressing each letter firmly against the screen of her smartphone, despite the fact that her hands were severely distorted, making it difficult for her to write.
'Hello, I'm Minjae Jeon, a track and field athlete,' he began, 'I was frustrated and disappointed because my physique was much lower than other athletes, and I was constantly being beaten by younger athletes, while my record was stagnant and I was constantly being pushed out of the rankings.
However, he added, "I had my own goals, so I kept practicing hard and breathlessly every day to the best of my ability, and as a result, I am so grateful and happy to have this medal around my neck.
Since 2020, Jeon's mother, Han Jae-young, has been helping him with his life and training. He said, "My mom is also elderly, so it must be hard for her, but I feel like she's struggling because of me, so I'm always grateful and sorry. I want to give the honor of this medal to my mom, who has always stood by my side and supported me." She also thanked her father, sister and nephew, as well as her manager, coaches and church.
At the tender age of 46, Jeon was considering retirement. "I will decide whether to compete in the Paralympic Games in Paris after the 100-meter race," he said after the 200-meter final on Aug. 23, but the letter three days later solidified his decision.
"I was thinking about retiring after this competition, but with the encouragement and persuasion of those around me, I decided to give it one last go and try to run until next year's Paralympic Games in Paris," he said.
"Athletics gave me dreams and hope when I was struggling, lonely and frustrated because I couldn't speak and had a handicap. Athletics was my only way out, my friend, and I will say goodbye to it and to the Paris Paralympic Games. I would like to thank everyone who supported me once again," she concluded her tearful letter.
After suffering from severe puberty as a child and believing he would "only live to be 20," he found hope in athletics and is now a "living legend" in Para athletics.
Since making his international debut at the 2008 Paralympic Games, Jeon has made history by winning two silver medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and one silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. At the 2014 Incheon Para-Asian Games, he wrote a letter on his foot saying that he would compete until 2018, but he never gave up and now has his sights set on the Paris Paralympics. Jeon's athletic journey is far from over. 스포츠토토맨
2023-10-27 10:26
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