At the Beijing Winter Olympics, the technical coach of the Chinese short track speed skating team, An Hyun-so, rose almost at a rocket-like pace. After the Beijing Winter Olympics, Ahn Hyun-so returned to South Korea and chose to accompany his family. Recently, Ahn Hyun-so was interviewed by South Korean media Yonhap News Agency. In this interview, Ahn Hyun-so responded to some of the biggest controversies surrounding him, such as the act of renouncing Korean citizenship and choosing Russian citizenship. He also responded in four words to his wife's misbehavior about China on her website. Finally, Ahn Hyun-so helplessly said that he felt that he was a "sinner" and that only by giving up the cause of short-track speed skating could he calm the incident.
Although many domestic audiences may have known An Hyun-so from this Beijing Winter Olympics, in fact, Ahn Hyun-so can definitely be called a superstar in winter sports. Ahn Hyun-so showed a talent for short track speed skating from an early age, and he also entered the Korean short track speed skating team with his performances, and quickly gained a foothold. At the age of 21, at the Turin Winter Olympics, he shined, winning three gold medals plus a bronze medal for the Korean team alone, making him a brother of the Korean short track speed skating team. However, Ahn Hyun-so did not develop smoothly since then, and missed the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Shortly thereafter, he made a controversial decision to renounce his Korean citizenship and switch to the Russian short track speed skating team and change his name to Victor Ann.
After becoming a Russian player, Ahn Hyun-so also performed very well, helping the Russian team win 3 gold medals and 1 bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Yes, the same performance as when representing the Korean team. In this way, Ahn Hyun-so achieved his legendary career and became the Olympic 6 Gold King. But his behavior has made him a "traitor" in the eyes of South Korean netizens. After retiring, Ahn Hyun-so made another decision that made him a controversial figure in the eyes of South Korean netizens, that is, he accepted the invitation of the Chinese short track speed skating team and became the technical coach of the Chinese team. You know, the Chinese short track speed skating team is the main competitor of the South Korean team, so Ahn Hyun-so's choice once again put him on the cusp of South Korean public opinion. After the Chinese team won the gold medal in the men's 1,000m short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Ahn Hyun-so was forced to publicly plead with South Korean netizens to spare him and his family on social platforms because of the internet violence by South Korean netizens.
I have to say that Ahn Hyun-so is indeed a controversial figure. Originally, he had a good reputation in China, and many people hoped that he could continue to coach the Chinese team. Unexpectedly, however, his reputation in China changed completely shortly after returning to South Korea. His wife made a very serious mistake related to China on her own brand's website. At that time, Ahn Hyun-so stood up and apologized at the first time. However, his apology was considered insincere because he only apologized on Chinese social platforms. This time, in an exclusive interview with south Korean media, he talked about these controversial issues.
When talking about joining the Russian team, Ahn Hyun-so said that his team was disbanded due to financial problems at the time, and he was questioned because of his injury and illness. So when Russia threw an olive branch and was sincere, he chose to accept the invitation. Then he repeatedly stressed that he chose to join the Russian team, not because of the "factional struggle" in the South Korean team as mentioned on the Internet, he had not been treated unfairly at home, and the relationship with the South Korean Ice Alliance was not tense. The reason why he joined the Russian team and coached in China was because "he continued to engage in short-track speed skating in order to have a good environment." In fact, before that, there were reports that When Ahn Hyun-so returned to the Korean team, he did not even have the opportunity to participate in the men's team training, or he found a relationship to train with the women's team. And Ahn Hyun-so's own response is actually inconsistent. In order to have a good environment to continue to engage in short track speed skating, that is, it is confirmed from one side that South Korea does not have a good environment.
When talking about his wife's personal brand website storm, Ahn Hyun-so responded with four words. He said that he was on vacation in South Korea at the time, and the occurrence of this incident was completely unexpected, so he could only feel "very sorry". In addition, he also said that after the Beijing Winter Olympics, he would see all kinds of reports related to himself every day, and judging from the content of the reports, he felt that he was a "sinner" without compromise, and said that he might only give up short-track speed skating to calm all the controversy.