hankyoreh

By Lee Gil-woo, sports reporter in London

Kim Jae-bum, 27, claimed his first-ever Olympic gold on July 31, beating Germany’s Ole Bischof, 33, in the men’s 81kg judo final at London’s ExCel Arena. But while the elated champion was talking to reporters at a press conference, South Korean judo team coach Chung Hoon was looking on with worry on his face.

“What Jae-bum needs is surgery, not rehabilitation,” he said. “The doctors all tried to stop him, telling him he was in no condition to compete in the Olympics. They said he was being crazy. But he’s so stubborn, such a fighter . . . ”

Anyone else would already be in the hospital for multiple operations and a long rehabilitation. The left half of Kim’s body in particular is an emergency ward unto itself. His left knee can only be described as “dangling.” The pain is severe enough that the wrong leg technique with his opponent could leave him with irreparable damage.

His left shoulder is, if anything, worse. Plagued with problems since 2007, it finally became dislocated late last year at the International Judo Federation Korea World Cup in Jeju, when Kim landed on his left arm while blocking a shoulder throw. He also suffered ligament damage there.

Then his left elbow broke down during training. Repeated impact against the mat left it difficult to flex. A month before the London games, he suffered a ligament break to his left ring finger. Judo is a sport that requires gripping the opponent’s uniform using fingers, and nearly every one of Kim’s is impaired in some way. He also suffers from joint inflammation.

Still, he didn’t give up on his Olympic dream. Every time he thought of the medal match four years ago in Beijing, his fighting spirit burned anew. A devout Christian, Kim prayed every night at 11:11. He wanted the gold.

“Four years ago, the sport was life or death with me, but for these Olympics I ignored the life and trained to the death,” he said.

With one side of his body in tatters, he trained to compete with just one arm. No one knew. This meant he had to compete and win with just his right arm and leg, without giving any sign of pain on his left.

“I’ve been doing judo with one arm for ages now,” he said when people advised him to go to the hospital. “I don’t care if I need an operation after the Olympics.”

Kim said it was actually a blessing to be injured. “I was careless about my shoulder in the past, but since I’m hurt now I’ll be more careful in the lead-up to the games,” he said. “It was a blessing in disguise.”

After taking gold, Kim explained, “I wasn’t in good shape this morning. But I prayed. I said, ‘I don’t care if I hurt something, I don’t care if I break something, just let me get through today and have this victory.’”

After arriving in London, Kim was unable to practice without painkillers and anesthetics. For the gold medal match, his left arm was taped tightly and numbed.

But with his battered, torn, and otherwise broken-down body, he succeeded in doing what he had been unable to in Beijing. The final once again had him pitted against Bischof, whose defeat of him sent him on his four-year journey of hardship in the first place.

After the match, Bischof was gracious to the champion who dethroned him, telling reporters Kim had improved greatly since Beijing and was much stronger. The German also patted the collapsed Kim’s back and helped him to his feet after the match, offering a warm embrace and sincere congratulations for the win.

Bischof’s warmth contrasted with the many defeated athletes who slink away from the mat lamenting their lost gold medal chances. He continued that way throughout the rest of proceedings, smiling warmly at Kim and shaking his hand in the medal ceremony and directing him on where to stand before the spectators. The German previously drew attention in Beijing when he lifted Kim’s hand up while on the medal stand.

Kim took his opponent’s hand as well. “I wanted the final to be against Bischof,” he said.

The win gave Kim a judo “grand slam.” By persevering to take gold when his medal chances seemed in danger, he completed the set with the World Championships in Athletics (where he took the last two titles), the Asian Games, and the Asian Championship (where he holds the last four).

But he is unlikely to compete anymore for the time being. He has a hospital bed waiting with his name on it.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]