The 'D-365' Winter Paralympics, 'World's Strongest' Korean Wheelchair Curling Coming Up! The Truth Unveiled by the 'Rival of Sookmyung' Ahead of the National Team Selection Contest
The 'D-365' Winter Paralympics, 'World's Strongest' Korean Wheelchair Curling Coming Up! The Truth Unveiled by the 'Rival of Sookmyung' Ahead of the National Team Selection Contest
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The 2026 Milan-Corpenadampezzo Winter Paralympics (March 6-15, 2026) is just a year away. Wheelchair curling is considered one of the most promising events for the second time in the history of the Korean Paralympic Games. In particular, in the mixed-double event, it ranks first with 59.915 points in the world as of February, a wide gap with the runner-up Latvia (55.745 points). It is a promising contender to inherit Shin Eui-hyun's golden history at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
The competition to select the representative wheelchair curling team, which will start in April, is expected to be a fierce draw between the former and current world No. 1. Jung Tae-young and Cho Min-kyung (Changwon City Hall), who made history of winning the mixed double at the Gangneung World Curling Championship last year, and Jung Joon-ho and Kim Hye-min (Seoul City Hall), who are currently the national team and ranking No. 1 in the world, are the main characters. They had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow at the Winter Sports Festival for the Disabled, which recently ended. Jung Tae-young and Cho Min-kyung, who represented South Gyeongsang Province in the final round of the mixed double, won the gold medal by winning 7-4 against Jung Joon-ho and Kim Hye-min, Seoul's No. 1 representative. Jung Tae-young and Cho Min-kyung also participated in a quartet, helping South Gyeongsang Province win the gold medal by winning 5-3 against North Chungcheong Province, and were awarded the two-time title and MVP of the competition.
"I thought I would meet Jung Tae-young and Cho Min-kyung in the final," Jung said with a smile while looking back on the past Winter Sports Festival. "I thought you would be nervous because we are the current national team. But when I entered the game, I felt the opposite way. I had valuable experience on how to run the game." "There is pressure and pressure on my skin. It is not easy to enjoy," said Kim Hye-min, who is playing with Jung Joon-ho after two years of joining the Seoul Metropolitan Government wearing the Korean national flag. "(Jung Joon-ho) tells me a lot to trust my brother and do it with confidence. He is my most reliable brother."
The Chung Tae-young and Cho Min-kyung emphasized "respect" rather than joy of the winner. "The Seoul team is currently a national team, and it is a team with top-class skills. It is meaningful that we have met a team that has proven its skills. It is a good achievement that we gained some confidence ahead of the selection match," Cho said. "We agonized over problems after failing to participate in the national team competition last year, and attempted to supplement our physical stamina and change our tactics. We are not an easy team to handle, but we got good results," Cho said. "I once belittled Kim Hye-min because of her cervical disability, and thought "Can I do it well?" It was a mistake. She was really good. She is an amazing player."
The national wheelchair curling competition is scheduled to start with a quartet in April and a mixed-double competition in June. Meanwhile, the Korean national team's Jung Joon-ho and Kim Hye-minjo will challenge for a medal at the U.K. World Championships in March. Jung said, "I will focus on the world championships. If I get a good result, I want to continue the momentum. I want to keep my current position (number one in the world)." Having started wheelchair curling at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympics, Jung said, "I watched the game on site and thought, 'I want to be the star of that big stage.' I have been running so far with that thought in mind. I will supplement my skills and mental abilities to participate in the Paralympics, which is one year away." "I tend to train my image a lot, but I imagine playing at the Paralympics a lot recently," Kim Hye-min said. "As it is a competition that any athlete dreams of, I will do my best." 온라인바카라
The wishes of Chung Tae-young and Cho Min-gyeong, who defeated them in the Winter Sports Festival, are no different. "I imagine myself almost every day in Milan-Corpena Dampezzo next year. I am so happy (if it comes true), and I think I will win the gold medal no matter what. I believe it will come true, not just in my imagination," Cho said. "I always have the thought that it will come true if I imagine it. I want to perform at the Paralympics wearing the national flag to the best of my ability."
Like the Winter Sports Festival, the team needs to overcome each other in the national team competition to compete in the Paralympic Games of its dreams. Before the competition, the two teams, who were curling players and teammates, talked in unison and had no regrets.
"As you can see, we are young. We will fight against each other with youth and spirit," Jung Joon-ho said with a chuckle. Kim Hye-min said, "The Changwon City Hall team has great skills. There is a path you have built while playing for the national team before. We are the representatives now, but I think we are continuing the path that you laid earlier. I want to do it without any regrets so that I can walk more on that path."
"We won the Winter Sports Festival, but we have to admit that our opponent is a national team and play with the spirit of a challenger. I will do my best to participate in the Paralympics, as I have nourished my efforts so far," said Jung. "There is no place to look down on all the teams that will compete in the national team. Not only is the Seoul team currently representing Korea, but it is also a young team that has a lot of potential in the future," Cho said. "If I get a chance to play against the best team, I will elevate everything. Of course, I will show you my official records."