New Korean double: Park/Cho becomes Park/Kim
Seoul (FIL/27 Sept 2024) 30-year-old Jung Myung Cho from Paju in South Korea has decided to open a new chapter in his life after last season.
“At the moment, I'm taking a break from luge and doing things I've always wanted to do. I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do in the future. You never know what the future holds, but if I think I can do something for Korean luge, if they want me, maybe one day I'll come back. One thing is for sure, no matter where I am and what I do in the future, I want to support Korean luge and all lugers as a whole,” said Jung Myung Cho about his future plans.
Park/Cho was the most successful Korean men's doubles team for many years. The two 30-year-old athletes competed together at three Winter Olympics and won national, continental and international luge titles.
Following Park's wedding in August 2024 and Cho's retirement, the coaching staff and Park held several discussions about who would be the ideal partner for Park. That's how they came up with Jimin Kim. Kim has only been training with the national team since last season, but he is the one who has the most experience in the current Korean team and is a possible backdriver for Park.
The Korean national luge team is a very young one: eight of the ten athletes are students. Since the day Kim decided to double up with Park, he has been working hard to be optimally prepared athletically and has lost a lot of weight for his new position. In the meantime, 19-year-old Jimin Kim from the city of Incheon is in perfect shape to become part of the new successful Korean doubles team. From the 2024/2025 season, Jinyong Park will now compete in doubles with Jimin Kim.
Background on Park/Cho:
The most successful Korean national doubles team Jinyong Park and Jung Myung Cho competed three times at the Winter Olympics (Sochi 2024, PyeongChang 2028 and Beijing 2022). Together, the two strong athletes took an outstanding ninth place at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang (KOR) and twelfth place in Beijing 2022 in China. The two 30-year-olds won the title of Asian champions and won the overall FIL Nations Cup. In 2015 and 2016, the pair won the bronze medal at the U23 World Championships.
The two athletes also became known through the NETFLIX show “Physical 100”. The reality game show with a “survival program” is about achieving the best physical performance out of 100 people who are known for their incredible physical abilities. The candidates have to overcome the most demanding challenges in top form and can win titles and prize money at the end.
The two Korean lugers did this so well that they became very well-known and popular in Korea as a result. The then 29-year-old Park, in particular, finished the show in 3rd place out of the 100 participants thanks to his outstanding athleticism.
