Published : Aug. 9, 2016 - 10:30
Having bagged his first Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro, South Korean judoka An Ba-ul said Monday he'll try to do one better at the next Olympics in Tokyo.
"My lifelong goal has been to win back-to-back gold medals in Rio and Tokyo," An said at a press conference at the Korea House for South Korean journalists. "I'll try to win gold in Tokyo four years later."
Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald
An lost in the final of the men's 66kg event Sunday, with Fabio Basile of Italy upsetting the world No. 1.
The South Korean said he was crushed in the immediate aftermath of the loss, but he's feeling better about himself.
"My coach (Cho Jun-ho) told me I should hold my head high because I did a great job," An said. "The loss was disappointing but I have no regret. I did the absolute best I could."
At the tender age of 22, he knows time is on his side to take another crack at an Olympic gold in 2020.
"Now that I've prepared for one Olympics, I think I know what it takes to get ready," An said. "As soon as I return to Korea, I will start working for the Tokyo Olympics."
An was accompanied by Yoon Jin-hee, a weightlifting bronze medalist from Sunday.
Yoon herself won her first Olympic medal at age 22, a silver at the Beijing Olympics, but she said she was still surprised to learn An was just 22.
"I am sure he was disappointed not to win gold here, but he should really see (the silver medal) as a step in the right direction," Yoon said. "If he keeps at it, he should be fine. He's already doing great as it is." (Yonhap)