The trainer for a teenage boxer who recently lost a national team spot to actress Lee Si-young said Thursday he will consider appealing the controversial decision.
Lee, who has dabbled in amateur boxing for the past two years, defeated Kim Da-som 22-20 in the final of the women’s 48-kilogram division at the national team tryouts on Wednesday.
But Choi Rak-hwan, who trains Kim at a Suwon-based gym, told Yonhap that his athlete was robbed of a sure victory.
“She lost her chance to make the national team because of biased judging,” Choi said in a phone interview. “We’re considering filing an official complaint with the Korean Amateur Boxing Federation.”
Kim, 19, led 9-7 after two rounds but was docked two points for an illegal blow with her palm in the third round. Lee went on to land a series of punches for the narrow win.
Choi said he’d expected officials to favor Lee because of her popularity as an actress, but they went a bit too far. (Yonhap News)