20

MONDAY
AUGUST 25, 2008

OLYMPICS
By Henry Shinn

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Field of dreams
Korea captures first baseball gold medal
It seems almost surreal to say Korea is the Olympic baseball champion. For long-suffering fans, Korean baseball has always been the weaker sister in Asia behind Japan, and a level below the elite baseball-playing nations. Whether that will all change after Koreas 3-2 victory over Cuba on Saturday in the Olympic gold medal match remains to be seen. But what has occurred is a remarkable undefeated run through the tournament and the emergence of a Korean team that refuses to be intimidated by the bigger baseball powers. Korea finished the tournament with a perfect 9-0 record. Three-time champion Cuba is the only other team to have finished an Olympic tournament undefeated. However, the unbeaten record belies the fact that Korea had to fight their way from behind in virtually every game they played. A closer look at the box scores shows that, apart from the 10-0 win over the Netherlands, all the other matches were decided by three runs or less. Korea came into the tournament hoping for a bronze medal, and that seemed to be an uphill task, as Japan, Cuba and the United States were the three teams generally considered favorites to medal. But a combination of strong pitching and timely hitting allowed Korea to pull off upsets against all three teams, including two victories over archrivals Japan in the prelims and semifinals. That semifinal victory over Japan on Friday was probably the seminal moment for Korea in this tournament. Japan has an almost 80-year tradition of professional baseball, while Korea has only been playing professionally for three decades. Although there have been occasional upsets when playing the Japanese, such as the 2006 World Baseball Classic defeat, beating Japan more than once in a tournament is a very difficult task. But the 6-2 win on Friday pushed Korea over a psychological threshold. They proved that, although Japan has the longer baseball history and perhaps a superior group of players, Korea at its best could stand toe-totoe against the perennial Asian power. For many baseball fans, that victory over its fiercest rivals was probably the most satisfying win in the tournament, and whatever happened afterwards was just icing on the cake. After the win, Korea was assured of

South Korean baseball players celebrate after stepping up to the podium during the medal ceremony, having beaten AP-Yonhap News Cuba 3-2 in the gold medal game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics on Saturday.

Koreas starter Ryu Hyun-jin limited Cuba to five hits over 8 and a third innings.
Reuters-Yonhap News

at least a silver medal, which meant an exemption from the mandatory military service which all able-bodied Korean men are required to go through for 14 of its young players. With that out of the way, the Korean team approached the final match against Cuba with no pressure and simply played the best baseball they were capable of. A first inning two-run homer by Lee Seung-yeop and an RBI double in the seventh by Lee Young-gyu was all the offense that Korea needed to win. But, like virtually all the matches Korea has played in these Olympics, this game was tense and dramatic until the very last out. Starter Ryu Hyun-jin pitched brilliantly, despite giving up two solo shots. He limited the powerful Cuban batters to 5 hits over 8 and a third innings. But, in the bottom of the ninth, the young Hanhwa Eagles ace loaded the bases with a single and two walks. To make matters worse, catcher Kang Min-ho got ejected from the game for arguing the second walk. A new battery came in with closer Chong Tae-hyun and catcher Jin Gabyoung. This was a cause for concern because Jin, the usual starting catch-

er for Korea, had been unable to play the past few games due to a hamstring injury. He was basically catching on one leg. If the game had gone to extra innings, it would have been a dire situation for the Koreans. However, as fate would have it, Chong needed only three pitches to induce Yuliesky Gurriel into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. After the final out, the players streamed onto the mound, and fans erupted in celebration over Koreas first baseball gold medal. There are many heroes have emerged from this history-making baseball team. Young sluggers like Lee Dae-ho, Kim Hyun-soo are sure to give Korea a strong presence in the middle of the batting order. Pitching phenoms like Kim Kwanghyun, who has earned the nickname Japan Killer, and The Beast Ryu Hyun-jin, promise quality starting pitching for the next decade or so (they are only 20 and 21 years old, respectively). But there is one veteran hero who has dramatically redeemed himself in these Olympics. Asian homerun king and Yomiuri Giants slugger Lee Seung-yeop had his fair share of detractors with his woeful perfor-

mances this year on both his professional and national teams. Because he struggled to bat over .100 throughout this tournament, some critics questioned manager Kim Kyung-moons decision to keep him in the cleanup spot. Lee proved his worth with two swings. A two-run homer that sent Japans gold medal hopes crashing, and another two-run homer that put the Koreans ahead of Cuba in the finals showed that the Lion King would come through for the team when it truly mattered. As he had done in the past, he broke the hearts of Japanese baseball fans, and it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he receives when he returns to Tokyo. But Lees place in Korean baseball history is secure. For Korea, their first gold medal in baseball may also be their last. Baseball has been voted out of the 2012 London Olympics and it is unclear whether the sport will ever return to the Games. Whatever happens, the national baseball teams achievement in Beijing 2008 will be a victory savored by Koreans for generations to come. (henryshinn@heraldm.com)

Wansiru first Kenyan to win marathon gold

BEIJING (AP) Samuel Wansiru pulled away over the final few miles Sunday to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon. The 21-year-old negotiated the 42.15-kilometer course through the Beijing streets in bright morning sunshine in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds. It was just the third marathon for Wansiru, also known as Wanjiru, who twice broke the world halfmarathon record last year. Two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco won the silver in 2:07.16. Ethiopian Tsegay Kebede, winner of this years Paris Marathon, took the bronze in 2:10.00. Ethiopian Deriba Merga led much of the race but faded badly at the end to wind up fourth. Wansiru won the Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan last December and was runner-up at the London Marathon in April. The crowd roared as Wansiru entered the Birds Nest, and he responded by raising his left hand in acknowledgment, then clapped several times. One lap later, just across the line, he kneeled and crossed himself several times. He had just broken the Olympic mark of 2:09.21 set by Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. As Wansiru was still on one knee, Gharib crossed the line for the silver. Americans Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall finished ninth and 10th, respectively. Temperature was 24 C with 52 percent humidity when the race began at 7:30 a.m. and it heated up steadily through the morning, reaching 30 C by the finish. The lead pack began to separate through the first 5 kilometers. By the halfway mark, eight were grouped at the front, led by Eritrean Yonas Kifle. By the 30-kilometer mark, the pack had dwindled to three Wansiru, Merga and Gharib. Reigning world champion Luke Kibet of Kenya stayed with the leaders through the early stages but fell back and finally pulled out of the race shortly past the halfway mark. He later said he had a stomach problem. World record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia decided not to run the race because of concerns about Beijings notorious air pollution. But after an overnight thunderstorm, a glorious blue sky greeted the final day of these games.

No resurgence yet in Korean boxing

By Song Woong-ki

Kenyas Samuel Kamau Wansiru crosses the finish line to win the mens marathon, at AP-Yonhap News the Beijing Olympics, yesterday.

There was a time when boxing gave hope. It raised morale for Koreans during an era of economic transition and socio-political upheaval. It was a turbulent time of dictatorship when rapid progress from a third world country into a developed nation was fast approaching. The nations zeal to escape from post-Korean War despair was reflected in the motivation of the nations athletes. The 1980s are viewed by many as golden era in Korean boxing. During that decade, the country had its largest ever number of champions. Former champ Yu Myeong-woo is legendary for 17 straight title defenses in the lightweight division at that time. Many attributed that feat to the never give up, never say die, approach that the nations athletes had adopted. What they lacked in infrastructure they made up for with will. Stories, such as boxers surviving on ramen and water, fueled pride among citizens as the Korean boxers opponents were trained with scientifically conceived nutritional and traditional training methods. For them to notch wins against better-trained coun-

terparts gave Koreans pride, and made them believe they could overcome anything. As the nation made steadfast progress into democracy and prosperity, boxing was seen as barbaric, soon buried under the facade of sophistication. Korean had boxers shone in a time when the entire nation was doing whatever was necessary to maintain their livelihood. They had sense that their fellow men were fighting the same struggle. Now, while the nation enjoys its affluence, boxers have been ostracized by a society without knowledge of the science involved in the development of a pugilist. The tragedy was that boxing died even before it established an infrastructure. The nation embraced it when they depended on athletes to instill hope. When good times finally arrived, boxing was abandoned. On Friday, Kim Jeong-ju, the welterweight division boxing contender, was stopped by Bakhyt Sarsekbayev of Kazakhstan in his bid for a gold medal. It was his second bronze after the first in Athens four years ago. The 20-year drought of no golds won since the 1988 Seoul Games has been extended to London. (kws@heraldm.com)