After a week of "tug-of-war," the investigation into Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Shin Jae-hwan finally made substantial progress.
On December 20, Beijing time, the Rucheng Police Station in Daejeon, South Korea, announced that Shin Jae-hwan was convicted of beating a taxi driver, and he finally confessed guilt. At present, Shin Jae-hwan has been arrested.
Daejeon police said they expected to hand over Shin to prosecutors soon and offer an indictment.
Several South Korean media also confirmed Shin Jae-hwan's arrest.
The 23-year-old Shin Jae-hwan, a representative of South Korean gymnastics, won the men's vault championship for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, overcoming a serious injury and illness.
It was also the second gold medal won by Korean gymnastics in olympic history. For a time, Shin Jae-hwan became an inspirational model, and advertising invitations and TV shows also came pouring in.
After the Tokyo Olympics, Shin's relapse from an old injury, coupled with frequent attendance at events, made his training increasingly unsystematic. At the Korean Gymnastics Trials, which ended in the middle of this month, Shin Jae-hwan's performance was a big failure, and in the most skilled vaulting event, Shin Jae-hwan did not rank in the top eight.
After the vault score was released, Shin Jae-hwan announced his withdrawal from the remaining five competitions, the South Korean gymnastics selection tournament, which aims to re-establish the Korean national team, and the promoted players will begin training in January next year to prepare for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
On the evening of December 15, the Korean Gymnastics Association officially informed Shin Jae-hwan that he had been eliminated by the national team. Upon learning of the outcome, Shin Jae-hwan decides to borrow wine to pour out his sorrows. After getting drunk, Shin Jae-hwan took a taxi and prepared to go home.
The taxi driver just asked what the destination was, and Shin Jae-hwan waved his fist and beat the driver violently. When the police arrived, they found that the hitter was an Olympic champion, and instead of restraining him to the police station to sober up, they escorted him all the way home.
The police's handling caused great controversy, and Shin Jae-hwan was also quite arrogant in an interview with the media the next day, saying that "I was completely drunk and I can't remember what happened!" ”
When asked why he hit someone, Shin stressed that he had a mental illness and suffered from severe panic disorder.
Shin Jae-hwan's refusal to apologize led the public to point the finger at the Korean Gymnastics Association. The Korean Gymnastics Association was forced to post an apology on its website: "We are well aware of the seriousness of this matter, we extend our most sincere apologies to all those who love gymnastics, and we will further strengthen the character and moral education of the national team and all athletes to prevent the recurrence of such incidents!" ”
In addition, the Korean Gymnastics Association also canceled the year-end award that Shin Jae-hwan should have won.
Under heavy pressure, the Daejeon police had to summon Shin Jae-hwan, and after interrogation, Shin Jae-hwan finally bowed his head and confessed. Even so, Shin did not apologize to the taxi driver who was beaten, much less to the public.
Perhaps, the gold medalist of the Tokyo Olympic Games will have an unforgettable time in the iron window.