swimmer-future
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| ▲ Lee Eun-ji of South Korea competes in the heats for the women's 100-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 24, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Lee Eun-ji of South Korea checks her time after competing in the heats for the women's 100-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 24, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Lee Eun-ji of South Korea competes in the heats for the women's 100-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 24, 2023. (Yonhap) |
swimmer-future
S. Korean teen swimmer hopes to be remembered by top athletes someday
By Yoo Jee-ho
FUKUOKA, Japan, July 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean swimmer Lee Eun-ji turned 17 on Sunday, with the world championships under way in Fukuoka. But after her first race of the competition Monday morning, the teenager was in no mood to celebrate.
That's because Lee was eliminated in the heats for the women's 100-meter backstroke. With a time of 1:00.56, she finished 18th overall out of 61, unable to crack the top 16 for the semifinals.
Lee holds the national record in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1:00.03, set two years ago while she was still in middle school. She reached the semifinals of the same event at last year's world championships in Budapest but couldn't repeat the feat here in the Japanese port city. She will try to flip the script in her next two events, the 50m and 200m backstroke.
"It was a really disappointing race. I couldn't quite maintain my speed down the stretch," Lee told Yonhap News Agency at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A. "I think I was too nervous. But I still have two more races here. So I will have to regroup mentally and try to get to the semifinals in those events."
In the 100m, Lee said she hopes to break the 1:00 mark soon and ideally at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, this fall.
In addition to her immediate goal, Lee has also set her sights on a larger objective.
In the heats, Lee was in the same group as Regan Smith of the United States, the reigning world champion in the 100m backstroke and former world record holder in the event. Lee's admiration for Smith is such that she said she would like to learn enough English to be able to hold a conversation with the American.
Lee also wants to get close to Smith's level in the pool.
"She is an incredible swimmer, and I hope I can be like her someday," Lee said. "And it would be awesome if Smith can remember my name and regard me as one of her rivals too."
At the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, Lee was the youngest South Korean athlete in any sport at 15. She will try to make it two in a row in Paris next year at 18.
She still won't be of legal age, not old enough to get herself a tattoo of the Olympic Rings, just as a few of her South Korean teammates and a slew of other international stars have done.
"I could still get it with my parents' consent, but I think it'd just be better if I did it on my own once I'm old enough," Lee said with a smile. "I've asked my parents many times, but they've always told me, 'You can do whatever you want once you get to legal age.'"
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