South Korean wrestling sensation Kim Hyun-woo (35, Samsung Life Insurance), who impressed fans at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London when he won gold with a black eye, has hung up his flag.”I’m retiring from the national team,” Kim told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday, “and I won’t be competing in the first national team selection tournament.”He added, “I’ll be out of the national team, but I plan to play a bit more and think about my future career.””I’m not feeling well,” he said, adding that he discussed his decision with his family after the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and decided not to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”I would like to thank everyone who has supported me,” said Kim, “I will never forget the support of the Korean people. Kim Hyun-woo was the poster boy for Korean wrestling at the London Olympics, where he won gold in the men’s Greco-Roman 66 kilogram category overcoming a right eye injury.South Korean wrestling has been on a downward spiral due to problems at the grassroots level, but Hyun-woo has kept the country’s pride alive by performing well at every international competition.
He led South Korean wrestling to gold at the 2013 World Championships, gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, and bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.However, Kim was not able to overcome the weight of time. A series of bad lucks also caught up with him.He had initially planned to retire at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but was unable to fulfill his plans after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) just days before the qualifying quarterfinals.He postponed his retirement until the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and returned to training, only to break his ribs just before the start of the Games and miss out on a medal.Meanwhile, Kim Hyun-woo’s close friend, Ryu Hansu (35-Samsung Life Insurance), a 67-kilogram men’s Greco-Roman, has decided to give it a go until the Paris Games.He applied to compete in the first round of the 2024 National Team Trials, which will be held in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, on Nov. 13.If he makes it through the second round of selection and wears the Korean flag, 토토 he will be able to qualify for Paris through the Olympic Quarterfinals.