Victorious in team event of the ‘9th Guryeo Women’s Championship and National Collegiate Ssireum Championship’
Second victory in the season following victory in the National Ssireum Championship
Conquers team and individual events in major tournaments this year
[September 29, 2017]
<The YU Ssireum Team won the team event at the 9th Guryeo Women’s Championship and National Collegiate Championship for the second victory of the season.>
The YU Ssireum team (Coach Heo Yong) won the team event at the 9th Guryeon Women’s Championship and National Collegiate Championship held in Gurye, Jeonnam on the 22nd.
With this win, the YU Ssireum team recorded their second victory of the season for team events in national collegiate tournaments. YU took the winner’s cup at the 47th National Ssireum Championship, which was the first tournament of the season, and also won the last tournament of the year, making 2017 YU Ssireum Team’s year.
In the preliminaries, YU defeated Jeonju University 4:2 and ousted Dankook University 4:2 in the semi-finals, showing their unparalleled skills. In the finals, they made a dramatic victory by defeating Inha University 4:3.
Though the YU Ssireum team was doing well this year, winning this tournament was questionable. Some of the main athletes were injured before the tournament and so it was impossible to compete with their regular roster, so YU was evaluated to be one of the weaker teams. However, once the tournament actually started, YU exhibited superior skills from the preliminary rounds and demonstrated the class of the best college ssireum team.
Coach Heo Yong (right on photo), who has lead YU’s ssireum team to its golden age, said, “We were able to win as the athletes became one with the will to be victorious at all costs despite various situations that put them at a disadvantage. I would like to thank the captain Kwak Ho-chang, as well as the rest of the team.” He added, “Despite the school being in several hardships, the school is providing full support so that the athletes including the ssireum team can focus on training. We will continue to work hard to meet expectations.”
Coach Heo Yong, who led YU to victory in the team event at this tournament won the Best Coach Award.
This year, the YU Ssireum Team not only won the major team events, but also took victories in individual events, and is once again receiving attention as a powerhouse for college ssireum. At the ‘71st National Ssireum Championship’ held in July, Park Chan-joo (20, Department of Special Physical Education, freshman) won the college Jangsa-class and Jeon Do-eon (20, Department of Special Physical Education, sophomore) took first place in the Yongjang-class. At the 14th National Haksan Ssireum Championship held in April, Jung Yeon-min (22, Department of Special Physical Education, junior) was victorious in the Jangsa-class, as the YU Ssireum Team swept the sand boxes in both team and individual events.
