According to local media reports in South Korea, the Winter Olympics short track speed skating six gold medal winner and Korean Russian star Victor An (formerly known as Ahn Hyun-so) is about to coach the Chinese short track speed skating team. Now he has been quarantined in Qingdao, Shandong Province, and will formally sign a contract with the Chinese side after the quarantine is over. The Beijing Youth Daily reporter then confirmed the news to relevant people, and soon An Hyun-so will sign a contract with the Chinese side. It is worth mentioning that before taking over the Chinese team, Ahn Hyun-so did not have any coaching experience for the national team.
Ahn Hyun-so's coaching of the Chinese team has been basically confirmed
Earlier, the coaching team of the Chinese short track speed skating team underwent a major restructuring, and the former head coach Wang Meng left for some reason, when the Winter Sports Management Center of the State General Administration of Sport did not immediately determine Wang Meng's successor, but the Korean coach Jin Changbo, who had previously coached the Chinese hockey team, served as the physical coach and led the team to summer physical training.
According to the Beiqing Daily reporter, the fact that An Hyun-so coached the Chinese short-track speed skating team this time also means that the most important gold-fighting unit of this Chinese team at the Beijing Winter Olympics finally has a new coach.
Yonhap News Agency said that the relevant person said on the 24th: "Victor Ann recently received a proposal from the Chinese side to introduce, and he accepted it after careful consideration. He recently traveled to Qingdao, Shandong Province, and is in self-isolation. The relevant person also said: "At present, Victor An has not signed a formal contract with the Chinese side, but the signing will be completed after the end of the quarantine." According to the Beiqing Daily reporter, although An Hyun-so has not yet officially signed a contract, his coaching of the Chinese team has been basically confirmed. Not surprisingly, he will lead the Chinese short track speed skating team to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Athlete with the most gold medals in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics
In preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese short track team hired former South Korean national team coach Kim Sun-tae to head the short track women's team last year, and also introduced other coaches and various training equipment. The team has also been the most powerful ace team in the Chinese Winter Army to win the Winter Olympic gold medal, and at the 2014 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the Chinese delegation won only one gold medal, which was won by Wu Dajing in the men's short track speed skating 500 meters.
Victor An, 34, of Korean origin, is the athlete who has won the most short track speed skating gold medals in history at the Winter Olympics. During the "Ahn Hyun Soo" period, he represented South Korea in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and won three golds and one bronze. On the eve of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the conflict between Ahn Hyun-so and the Korean Skating Association became public, and he was unable to gain a place in the gang-lined, hierarchical national team, so he regretted missing that Winter Olympics. In desperation, he transferred to Russia in 2011 and became the current Victor Ann. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Victor Ann won three golds and one bronze again, becoming a hero of Russia.
Unfortunately, due to the doping scandal in Russia, at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the IOC only allowed eligible athletes to compete as "Olympic athletes from Russia". Victor Ann was not on the list of eligible athletes, and he was in good shape and did not qualify for Pyeongchang.
South Korean media revealed that the annual salary is 3 million yuan
At the end of April, Victor Ann officially announced his retirement. It is reported that after retiring from the army, he has been preparing to engage in coaching career in South Korea. The person concerned said: "He had hoped to work as a coach in South Korea, but the environment is not very good now. ”
According to other South Korean media, Victor Ann's contract with the Chinese side amounted to an annual salary of 3 million yuan (about 515 million won). South Korean media said that the Chinese side has issued an invitation to Victor Ann since a few years ago, hoping that he will pass on the technology and know-how to the Chinese team. However, according to the Beiqing Daily reporter, the annual salary of Ahn Hyun-soo is still a mystery, and whether the Report of the South Korean media is accurate is still unknown.
As early as February 2019, Ahn Hyun-so revealed that he had received an invitation from the Chinese side, which wanted him to serve as the coach of the youth team. In an interview with South Korean media, he said: "The salary offered by the Chinese side is an incredible amount for short track speed skating. I am grateful to have such a high rating of me. At the time, he said he did not accept the invitation because he wanted to continue his career as an athlete. Text/Gao Fei Co-ordinator/Du Rui