Jeon Sang-gyun wins bronze medal after 12 years

 

Athlete Jeon Sang-gyun at the Korea Mint

In front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 2024, Jeon Sang-gyun, Deputy Director of the Numismatic Division of the Korea Mint, received the bronze medal for weightlifting that he had won at the London 2012 Olympics.

"My hand went up without me realizing it," he laughed embarrassedly as he held the bronze medal around his neck.

On the 9th (Korea time), Jeon was invited to attend the 'Medal Reassignment Ceremony' at Champions Park in Trocadero Square in Paris, France.

Fans cheered as the big man in the black suit appeared, and he responded with a big wave of his hand.

"I was worried that I wouldn't be able to recreate the feeling I had at the Olympics 12 years ago, but today, when I participated in the ceremony, I felt comforted," he said. "I was not going to do the ceremony because I am a shy person, but the crowd was cheering loudly, so I did it confidently."

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Commissioner Martin Foucault, who has won five Olympic biathlon gold medals, presented the medals.

Sangkyun Jeon is the "unlucky Olympic medalist.

At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Jeon competed in the men's 105kg+ weightlifting category and finished in fourth place with a total of 436kg, just missing the podium.

At the time, Jeon was the favorite of the Korean team to win a medal, but Ruslan Albegov of Russia, a near-unknown athlete on the international stage, finished third with a total of 448 kilograms.

The real owner of the bronze medal was a long time in coming.

Alvegov was suspended for doping violations in 2017 and 2019.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) began removing Alvegov's international competition records on March 15, 2022, and on March 21 of this 해외 카지노 사이트 year, it also removed his "London Olympic record.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also confirmed Jeon's inheritance of the bronze medal in late March and held a medal reassignment ceremony at the Paris Games.

"At the time, I admitted defeat cleanly. I forgot my regrets," he said, adding, "Banned substance use must be eradicated. I hope this will help to eradicate the use of banned substances."

The Russian athlete's cheating caused him to suffer "financial losses".

Since April of this year, he has been receiving a pension of 525,000 won for his Olympic bronze medal.

Olympic pensions not received for 12 years are not retroactive.

He won't get the money, which amounts to about $80 million.

However, the former deputy chief said, "It's money I didn't expect. I'll take it as it comes," he said, adding, "My wife said, 'Let's use it for our retirement fund,' so I'm going to save it well."

After the 2012 London Olympics, Jeon worked as the head coach of the Mint's weightlifting team, but when the team was disbanded in 2014, he switched to a regular job at the Mint.

For him, the medal ceremony brought back memories after more than a decade of lifting barbells.

Those around him also see him as an "Olympic medalist" again.

"My coworkers, juniors, and seniors congratulated me a lot," he said, "so I brought the company flag to the ceremony today."

However, Jeon's daughter, Hee-soo Jeon (Gyeongbuk Cheongdo University), a promising Korean weightlifter, was not so congratulatory.

"I don't think she's too impressed," said Jeon, laughing, "She's always said, 'I don't care that my dad is a weightlifter.' She's my daughter, but I admire her for keeping her composure. I want her to be a great athlete."

In June, Jeon set a new South Korean student record (233 kilograms) in the women's high school 76-kilogram category.