# “Yunji is so bright and so pretty! Even if she falls, she gets up quickly like a tumbler.” 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics ‘Nordic iron woman’, 2018 Jakarta Asian Paralympic Cycle ‘2 crowns, 2 consecutive wins’ Lee Do-yeon (51, Jeonbuk) was asked about ’34-year-old younger junior’ Kim Yoon-ji (17, Gajaeulgo, Seoul Sports Association for the Disabled) Eyes Honey dripped from
#”Seventeen, at an age where you can do anything! You’re good at it. You have fighting spirit… You work hard… Of course you’re looking forward to it.” The face of ‘PyeongChang Paralympic Gold Medalist’ Shin Eui-hyeon (43, Sejong City Sports Association), who participated in the European training camp for the national team with Kim Yun-ji throughout the winter, was also overflowing with a happy smile.
‘Nordic Divine’ Yunji Kim won 4 gold medals alongside ‘Uncle Uihyeon’ at the 20th National Paralympic Winter Games, which ended on the 14th. She ran together with ‘Legendary Iron Woman’ Lee Do-yeon and climbed the podium together. Yunji Kim, who will become a sophomore in the new year, swept the winter and summer rookie awards for the first time in history last year, and in her second winter sports event in her life, she received her first 4 crowns and was selected as her first MVP while receiving a blind vote from the reporters. Yunji Kim, born in 2006, is the self-proclaimed future of sports for the disabled in Korea that has emerged like a comet.
Kim Yoon-ji, who was born with spina bifida and myelomeningocele, broke her first water at the age of three with rehabilitation swimming. Since entering his first competition in his third year of elementary school, he has been very active as a swimmer, and the winter event Nordic skier, who participated for the first time last year, is also showing dazzling talent. On the stage of the Olympic Games, which he returned to after training in Europe, his grandfather, grandmother, parents, older brother, younger brother, and all his family watched, and he continued his golden run every day. He won his first gold medal in the biathlon 4.5km (sitting) on the 10th with an overwhelming record of 18:01:60, and in the 7.5km (sitting) on the 11th, even after falling four times, he finished in 27:15:90. His only 20-minute mark earned him his second gold medal. 8:18:20 i바카라사이트n the 3km cross-country classic (sitting) on the 12th, 41:60 ahead of his own record (8:59:80) in the previous competition, winning three gold medals, and on the 14th, the last day of the competition, 13 minutes at 4.5km in cross-country 1 second 90, 1 minute 12 seconds lower than last year (14 minutes 13 seconds 80), and won 4 gold medals. With his strong stamina and cardiorespiratory endurance built up by his swimming, he is displaying dazzling talent in extreme events. He also proved his competitiveness on the international stage by winning two silver medals and two bronze medals at the Para Nordic Ski World Cup held in Vuokati, Finland this season.
During interviews, she is a naturally born high school girl who always bursts out laughing with an innocent face. She looks like a female warrior as she fiercely climbs the steep uphill slope without stopping. “Because the director is watching from behind her. I’m afraid she’ll come after me,” she laughs. When her sleigh falls, she jumps up at the speed of light and storms out, her gears retrieving the lost candle. “She practiced falling and getting up a lot,” she says.
‘Snow Field Marathon’ cross-country skiing and biathlon, even though they are cold and difficult extreme events, their smiles do not leave. “It’s hard, but it’s fun. Swimming is an exercise I’ve been doing since I was young, and Nordic skiing, which suddenly came to me, is an event that shows me a new direction,” he said. “She has a competitive spirit and a desire to do better, so she challenges herself every moment,” she laughs. Of course, there are moments when a ‘mental breakdown’ comes to her. She confessed, “During the Swedish competition, 3 out of 4 shots in a row during the biathlon shooting were misfired. ‘Mental breakdown’ came.” How did you get the mentality? “The mindset that I’m going to finish it all the way, and once I’m in the race, I’m going to be responsible for the end,” she said.
Above all, there are outstanding seniors who take good care of their juniors next to Kim Yoon-ji, who is a ‘young talent’. She smiled broadly, saying, “Uncle Ui-hyun even gave me money for New Year’s Eve on New Year’s Day. She really teaches me anything I don’t know about skiing.” “Lee Do-yeon always tells me to ‘enjoy’. I want to learn how to enjoy every moment of the game and play positively and always with a happy mind. Uncle Ui-hyeon always tries to do better even though he is a gold medalist. It’s cool to see him continue to improve. “He raised his thumb.
Shin Eui-hyeon, “I want to become a helpful senior while running with my juniors,” and Kim Yun-ji, who says, “It’s an honor to be with good seniors who can learn from me and cheer me on.” It will be the last Paralympic Games for Shin Eui-hyeon, an iron man born in 1980, and the first Paralympic Games for Kim Yun-ji, a Shin Sung born in 2006.
Kim Yun-ji’s record in athletics is a good record that corresponds to the 3rd or 4th place in the men’s division. Above all, she has plenty of room for growth, including her sledding skills, experience, and stamina. Eui-hyeon Shin said, “Even ‘American ace’ Oksana Masters is faster than most male players. Yoon-ji can do it if she keeps working hard. She’s only 17 now. She can compete well with male players.” He said, “If Yunji continues to grow like he is now, I will be able to play with him at the Milan Paralympic Games. Just experiencing the Paralympic Games at the age of 20 will be a great foundation for me.”