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Wednesday, September 27
Former world No. 1 misses out on medal
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- At the U.S. Olympic Trials in May,
Esther Kim sacrificed a chance to compete for her country so that
her injured friend, Kay Poe, could have the honor instead.
On Wednesday, Kim watched from the stands as Poe lost her
first-round bout in the karate-like sport of taekwondo, ending her
hopes of winning the gold medal.
But while the gold got away, and then even an outside shot at a
bronze, Kim said her sacrifice wasn't wasted.
"I'm proud of her, win or lose," Kim said. "She should be
proud. She hasn't let anyone down."
The story behind Poe's trip to the Olympics has been among the
most captivating of the Sydney Games.
For years, Kim, 20, and Poe, 18, had trained together in Houston
under the coaching of Kim's father, Jim Won Kim.
When the trials were held, Poe was ranked No. 1 in the world in
the flyweight class and seemed destined for Sydney. But she
dislocated a kneecap in the semifinals, leaving her unable to
compete in the finals against Kim.
Kim, who would have been an underdog if Poe had been healthy,
decided to give up her chance to make the team by forfeiting the
match to Poe -- a decision her father supported.
Kim's decision to sacrifice her own chance to compete in Sydney
was soon picked up by the media, and before long she was even
telling her story to Oprah Winfrey.
Kim was invited to the games by IOC president Juan Antonio
Samaranch and watched from the stands as Poe took to the ring for
her first bout.
At first, Poe looked like a solid bet.
She led Hanne Hoegh Poulsen of Denmark 3-1 going into the final
round, but appeared overwhelmed as Poulsen outscored her 4-0 in the
final period. Poulsen had one point deducted to finish with the
one-point victory.
Poe would have had a shot at a bronze medal had Poulsen reached
the finals. But Poulsen was eliminated later in the day by
Australia's Lauren Burns, who went on to win the gold. Urbia
Melendez of Cuba took the silver and Chi Shu-ju of Taiwan won the
bronze medal.
"I was much more cautious today than usual," Poe said. "I'm
usually very aggressive, but today I just didn't play my game."
Poe said she wasn't distracted by all the media attention her
story has attracted.
"At first I was in total shock about all the publicity that we
had gotten," she said. "But I think I didn't let it affect me as
much as before.
"I'm representing me and Esther," she said. "But I'm also
representing the rest of the country, my parents, my training
partners, my coaches, which everybody else has as well. So that's
part of the Olympic Games."
Kim shouted advice to her friend throughout the bout, telling
her to watch the way Poulsen was repeatedly throwing the same kind
of kick combination.
And though her friend lost, she said their friendship is
probably now even stronger.
"She got to this point, she's already a winner," Kim said.
"She got to the Olympics. How many people get that chance? I know
she really wants to try again in 2004."
Kim said she was satisfied with her own Olympic experience, too,
though she never got into the ring.
"It was kind of like I was out there anyway," she said. "I've
experienced almost everything the other Olympians have done. The
only difference is that I don't get to walk in the opening and
closing ceremonies, stay in the Olympic village and compete.
"I don't regret it at all," she said. "I'm grateful and
thankful to be out here."
Are the 2004 Olympics in her future plans?
"Hopefully not," she said.
"I think after another year or two I'm done. I'm going on 15
years in taekwondo. I really want to start living a normal life and
doing the things I haven't been able to do."
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