"Were Korean Coaches Suitable?"... Chinese Media Blames Ahn Hyun-soo for Short Track's Poor Performance

Coach Kim Seontae and Coach An Hyeonsu (Viktor An) of the China team Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics short track, China won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal. However, a Chinese media outlet criticized the athletes' poor performance and suggested reinstating Wang Meng (38), a former short track athlete.

On the 18th, China's 'Sina Sports' reviewed the short track events of this Olympics, stating that "overall results were unsatisfactory," and pointed out that "the most frustrating thing is the lack of follow-up measures." They further emphasized, "How about bringing Wang Meng back to the short track national team?"

China secured 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal in short track. Amid judging controversies, China won gold in the newly added mixed relay. In the men's 1000m, Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong took gold and silver respectively, but the women's 3000m relay only managed to add a bronze medal.

The media noted, "China tied for second place with the Netherlands behind South Korea (2 golds, 3 silvers)." While this was an improvement compared to the 1 gold and 1 silver won at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, it still falls short compared to the historic records of China's short track team, which has always been a powerhouse in the Winter Olympics.

Former Chinese short track speed skater Wang Meng.
Photo by Yonhap News

They especially emphasized the poor performance of the women's short track team, which was once the strongest, after stars like Yang Yang, Wang Meng, and Zhou Yang retired. In the women's 1500m, the team ranked low, even surprising Wang Meng, who was commentating.

Additionally, regarding the overall tactics in short track and Sun Long's careless mistake in the men's 5000m relay, the media stated, "This indicates a problem with the coaching staff responsible for daily training," highlighting issues with the coaching team composed of head coach Kim Sun-tae and Viktor An (Ahn Hyun-soo).

Furthermore, Sina Sports questioned whether the coaching staff, composed of foreigners from South Korea, was suitable for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and reported that "there have been calls to reinstate Wang Meng, who was praised as the king of short track commentary, as a national short track coach."

They added that while a comprehensive consideration is needed regarding whether Wang Meng can become a head coach, her professional abilities must be acknowledged.

Meanwhile, Wang Meng was appointed as a coach for the Chinese national short track team in 2019 but was dismissed in 2021 due to poor results. She served as a commentator during this Winter Olympics.

Known as the "King of Fouls" during her athlete days, Wang Meng sparked controversy by saying "They fell well" when the Korean team fell in the mixed relay 2000m at this Olympics, and made one-sided remarks defending China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.