With the Chinese team winning gold and silver in the Winter Olympic Games in the past two days, the technical coach of the Chinese short track speed skating team, An Xiansu, has become the focus of attention of all parties.
The reasons are mainly his Russian nationality and Korean identity.
The South Korean team did not perform well, and some people threw their anger on him, accusing him of "betraying the country", calling for "banning Ahn Hyun-so from entering South Korea" and even finding out her wife's account and leaving vicious comments.
In the early hours of February 8, Ahn Hyun-so posted in Korean on her Twitter account: "Please don't hurt my family. This is the most painful thing for me. ”
At noon on February 9, Oriental Tv and Knews reporter Kwon Xiaoxing contacted him through Ahn Hyun-so's mentor, Hwang Yi-hwan. Given the current turmoil, Ahn Hyun-so did not give an interview.
He texted us apologies and thanked his Chinese friends for their support. He said that he looked forward to seeing everyone smile through our lens when the spring flowers bloomed.
"Each of us has our own destiny, since I am not a perfect person, my fate will also be prepared to bear the infamy of this, but I will do my duty and mission in every role and position of my own life." 」 --Ahn Hyun-so
Reporters began to pay attention to Ahn Hyun-so during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, writing many articles about him.
The text records his past and gives us a glimpse of his mental journey. These words may help everyone better understand Ahn Hyun-so and his choices.
First, the genius on ice
Ahn Hyun-so, a recognized genius in Korean short track speed skating, has won six Olympic gold medals for South Korea and Russia.
At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing was left behind by him to "beat his chest and feet", but he was also impressed by his superb route control ability.
But off the field, Ahn Hyun-so's life is a little out of control. At almost every critical juncture, fate played a joke on him.
Around 1980, as the Seoul Olympics approached, the government asked major companies to take over or sponsor a sport. Short track speed skating is one of the key ice sports in South Korea.
Factional struggles led by different people began to emerge.
The Korean short track speed skating industry is divided into "sports university school" (sports university school) and "non-sports university school", the difference is whether it is from The Korean Sports University.
Factional struggles are not only about who is in power, but also about the livelihood and even survival of athletes. As a result, the infighting in Korean sports organizations is particularly fierce, from coaches, athletes to sponsorship, factional struggles can be described as "ferocious", reflected in the field, that is, coaches and players take victory too seriously, and even "make bad".
The young and unsalised Ahn Hyun-soo who "broke the rules" to the national team was promoted to the national team by Quan Mingkui, the core figure of the "body school", and it was the players who were replaced by the "non-sports big school".
However, with the reorganization of the South Korean Ice Sports League, the "Ti Dapai" lost power, and Ahn Hyun-so also became the target of "retaliation".
At the behest of the coach, the members of the "non-sports big school" interfered with Ahn Hyun-so's training and even beat Ahn Hyun-so at least three or four times. Ahn Hyun-so had to move to the training base of the short track speed skating women's team, as the women's team was the only place in the league coached by a "big body" coach.
In 2006, the Turin Winter Olympics.
Before the 5000m relay, Ahn Hyun-so had already won gold medals in the 1000m and 1500m. However, there was a voice in the team that "Ahn Hyun-so doesn't want to play well to get revenge on his teammates and coaches".
Ahn Hyun-so never recounts his grievances, but only knows how to prove himself with actions.
In the semi-final of the relay event competition, the Korean team fell down by mistake at the beginning, and it was Ahn Hyun-so who desperately slipped and rushed to the second place in the group, single-handedly sent the Korean team to the final, and led the Korean team to win the championship in the final.
After the game, the other three members of the team rushed to the head coach of the men's team to celebrate, but the winner Ahn Hyun-so silently retreated to the sidelines, hugging and crying with the then women's team coach.
Second, leave your hometown
Ahn Hyun-so's Russian name is Victor Ahn.
By his own account, Victor means both "victory" in English and from the russian-born third-generation North Korean rock star Victor Choe.
The Goryeo people of Central Asia, represented by Victor Choi, were mistakenly involved in the internal struggles of the Soviet Union and were forced to migrate to Central Asia to live. Ahn Hyun-so expressed empathy, being in the whirlpool of struggle, wandering away from home, how could it not be his own experience?
In January 2008, Ahn Hyun-so hit a wall during a training session, resulting in a fracture of his left kneecap and a contusion of the posterior cruciate ligament. The Korea Ice Federation refused to pay for Ahn Hyun-so on on the grounds that he was not injured during the national team match. Ahn Hyun-so can only go abroad for surgery at his own expense, which makes him more and more suspicious of the South Korean Ice Federation.
In April 2009, Ahn Hyun-so, who had undergone multiple surgeries at his own expense, returned to the field, but due to the long period of time without participating, his overall points in the Domestic Selection in South Korea were insufficient, and he lost the opportunity to participate in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Successive encounters left him with almost nowhere to go.
In January 2011, the Russian Ice Federation sent an invitation to naturalize Ahn Hyun-soo as a Russian citizen, promising to reserve a place at the Sochi Winter Olympics after agreeing. At that time, Ahn Hyun-so still wanted to represent Korea and refused.
However, in April of that year, Ahn Hyun-so lost the election to the South Korean national team and lost the qualification to represent the Korean team in Sochi. Seeing that his sports career was about to end with regret, he decided to take a difficult step.
According to Ahn Hyun-so's mentor, Hwang Yee-hwan, the night before he left for Russia, Ahn Hyun-so and he both drank too much. The two masters and apprentices hugged their heads and cried. "If you can't go, you really don't want to go." Ahn Hyun-so repeated this sentence over and over again.
As South Korea's "Olympic athlete", Ahn Hyun-so's russian citizenship has made it difficult for many South Koreans to accept. They regardEd Ahn Hyun-so's actions as a "defection", negative public opinion swept over him and almost overwhelmed him.
Even the president of the Russian Ice Federation received a phone call from South Korea: "Ahn Hyun-so has a lot of problems in South Korea, and you absolutely can't accept him." ”
Even so, the domineering Ahn Hyun-so on the court never blamed anyone. From being beaten and ostracized, to going to Russia, there has been no "mutual tearing" or hot fight scenes.
Ahn Hyun-so remains silent and bears everything.
Huang Yihuan once described his disciples this way: "Since childhood, I have been very introverted and unwilling to show anything to the outside world. ”
Bian Qiansi, a member of the Korean short track speed skating women's team, mentioned when talking about Ahn Hyun-so, "The seniors must have experienced very difficult days, I have secretly seen him once secretly shed tears, but he has never confided in us his grievances. ”
Behind the long-term restraint and forbearance, perhaps Ahn Hyun-so has long understood such a truth: the source of self-confidence is nothing more than that you feel different from others. And in an environment like Korean short track speed skating, what can you change with your own efforts?
Third, the doping storm
In 2011, Ahn Hyun-so went to Russia.
According to his recollection, the level of the Russian short track speed skating team was similar to that of Korean middle school students. But Ahn Hyun-so was still out in the qualifiers, which is enough to show how bad he was at the time.
In fact, at that time, not only teammates, but even the Russian Sports Ministry lost confidence in Ahn Hyun-so. But Putin is very appreciative of Ahn Hyun-so, and said very firmly, "The only thing we can do now is to trust and support him unconditionally." ”
Lived up to expectations. The 29-year-old Ahn Hyun-so won three golds and one bronze in Sochi, returning to the top and achieving a breakthrough in short-track speed skating for Russia.
Performing stunningly at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Ahn Hyun-so was awarded the Medal by Putin. Everything seems to be moving in a better direction.
But in his heart, Ahn Hyun-so still has a wish. He has repeatedly expressed his hope to complete his career in South Korea.
In December 2017, Ahn Hyun-so returned to South Korea to prepare for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Hwang Recalls that despite being over 30 years old, Ahn Hyun-so remained in good shape and was likely to win a medal in Pyeongchang.
Unfortunately, fate once again joked with him.
In December 2017, the International Olympic Committee officially announced that Russian delegations would be banned from participating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and that Russian athletes could apply to compete as "neutral athletes" as long as they could prove their innocence.
Ahn Hyun-so, who has never been linked to the drug scandal, did not appear on the "white list" that was allowed to participate. The outside world speculates that this is South Korea's retaliation.
In this way, Ahn Hyun-so missed the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and announced his retirement.
Fourth, connect with China
In the years that followed, Ahn Hyun-so was constantly torn between "buried heroes" and "treason thieves" in the minds of South Koreans.
In his most lonely moments, he developed wonderful friendships with many famous Chinese players. Needless to say, Wu Dajing even used a delicious meal of Peking duck to send an invitation to the frustrated and sleepy Ahn Hyun-so.
After becoming the coach of the Chinese short track speed skating team, Ahn Hyun-so not only preached words, but also taught by example.
He often took off his coat and slid with the players. He sometimes leads the slide, sometimes looks for the middle to surpass, his taxiing line, sliding rhythm can drive the team, and even inspire the team to imitate.
Chinese short-track speed skater Han Tianyu once mentioned that Ahn Hyun-so usually gives them some technical guidance, will also skate with everyone, and privately take care of them like a brother.
Before the start of the game, I saw a photo of Ahn Hyun-so meeting a Korean player who had worked with before he came on stage, and he came forward and patted his shoulder to give his blessing as a senior. This scene was bombarded by some South Korean netizens.
In this regard, Wang Meng said: Ahn Hyun-so was invited from Russia by me, not from your Republic of Korea, and you are not qualified to curse people.
Good birds choose trees to roost.
Ahn Hyun-so carries a lot of pressure beyond ordinary people, and what he needs most at this moment should be more inclusive and supportive.