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[스포츠뉴스]Who is Im Ae-ji, the first Korean woman to win an Olympic boxing medal?

온카뱅크관리자

2024-08-05 17:03:00

<div class="ab_photo photo_center ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2024/08/05/0000057293_001_20240805170415260.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Korea's Im Ae-ji celebrates after winning the women's bantamweight quarterfinal match against Colombia's Yeni Marcela Arias Castaneda at the North Paris Arena in Paris on Aug. 2, guaranteeing a spot on the podium. [NEWS1]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Korean boxer Im Ae-ji took bronze in the women’s bantamweight at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, narrowly missing out on a shot at gold after losing 3-2 to Hatice Akbas of Turkey in the semifinals.  <br><br>But she’ll still leave Paris with her name in history as the first South Korean woman to medal in boxing at the Games &#8212; achieving the feat moments after North Korea’s Pang Chol-mi became the first North Korean woman to do the same.  <br>    <br> Bronze medalists Im and Pang &#8212; who went head-to-head in a bout last year &#8212; will share the podium after the gold medal match between Akbas and China’s Chang Yuan on Friday.  <br>    <br> Im’s bronze will remain South Korea’s sole boxing medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is the country’s first since London 2012, where Im's coach Han Soon-chul won men's lightweight silver and women's boxing debuted as an Olympic sport.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2024/08/05/0000057293_002_20240805170415322.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">London Olympics men's lightweight silver medalist Han Soon-chul, center, comforts Im Ae-ji after she lost her semifinal bout against Turkey's TK at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Who is Im, where did she come from and how does she know North Korea’s top boxer?  <br><br><b>International amateur</b>  <br>    <br> Im is from Hwasun County, South Jeolla &#8212; also the hometown of retired Korean boxer Park Chan-yong &#8212; but moved to Seoul to attend Korea National Sport University.  <br>    <br> That was around when she had her breakout moment, winning the gold medal in the women’s lightweight at the 2017 AIBA Youth Women's World Boxing Championships in Guwahati, India.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2024/08/05/0000057293_003_20240805170415378.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Korea's Im Ae-ji, right, throws a punch during the women's bantamweight semifinals at the Paris Olympics Sunday. [YONHAP]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> She made her senior debut for Korea at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, moving down a weight class to vie for a medal in the women’s featherweight contest but failed to reach the podium.  <br>    <br> Im, now 25 years old, has spent the last seven years competing on the international amateur circuit.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2024/08/05/0000057293_004_20240805170415432.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Korea's Im Ae-ji trains at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong on Nov. 10, 2020. [YONHAP] </em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Amateur boxing, the style at the Olympics, is faster-paced than its professional counterpart. And amateur boxers, unlike sponsored pros, are not paid to fight. Professional boxers have been eligible to compete at the Olympics since 2016.  <br><br><b>2020 Tokyo Olympics</b>  <br>    <br> Im qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by winning bronze in the women’s featherweight at the Asia and Oceania qualifiers in Amman, Jordan in March 2020.  <br>    <br> More than a year later, Im went to Tokyo with Oh Yeon-ji, who had qualified for a spot in the women’s lightweight contest, as the first female Korean boxers to make the Games.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2024/08/05/0000057293_005_20240805170415492.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Korea's Im Ae-ji, left, competes in the women's featherweight round of 16 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on July 26, 2021. [YONHAP]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> But neither Im nor Oh, the 2018 Asian Games women’s lightweight gold medalist, advanced past the round of 16. Im lost 4-1 to Australia’s Skye Nicolson, who turned pro a year later, and Oh lost 4-1 to Finland’s Mira Potkonen, an eventual bronze medalist.  <br><br><b>Fighting Pang Chol-mi in Hangzhou</b>  <br>    <br> Im returned for her second Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last fall. And her first bout was against North Korea’s Pang.    <br>    <br> But Pang, the eventual gold medalist in the women’s 54 kilograms contest, beat Im 5-0, ending the South Korean’s shot at reaching the podium.  <br>    <br> According to an interview in Paris, Im and Pang spoke after the bout in Hangzhou, with Pang telling Im she “did a good job.”  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2024/08/05/0000057293_006_20240805170415549.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">North Korea's Pang Chol-mi celebrates winning gold in the women's bantamweight at the Hangzhou Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Oct. 4, 2023. [XINHUA/YONHAP]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> And they met again in the Athletes’ Village at the Paris Games, with the two reportedly encouraging each other to do well in their respective semifinals, setting up a final challenge in the gold-medal fight.  <br>    <br> Despite their losses, Im and Pang will meet again Friday as they share the third-place step &#8212; and maybe a selfie &#8212; at the medal ceremony.  <br>    <br>