'Handball legend' Professor Oh Seong-ok shared her feelings about returning to the court.
On the 16th, the KBS1 sports documentary "Sisters have returned" held an online production showcase that was live-streamed on YouTube. The production showcase featured Son Seong-gwon (producer-director), singer Young Tak, and former handball player Professor Oh Seong-ok of Korea National Sport University, who appeared to talk.
It is a sports documentary that rekindles the emotion of the greatest moments that were thrilling at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It tells the story of the "Woo Saeng-sun" (the best moments of our lives) members, who had hung up their national team uniforms and were walking completely different paths as someone's wife, someone's mother, and as coaches, reuniting as one team after about 20 years to compete.
That day Professor Oh Seong-ok said, "When the PD first proposed it to me, I honestly wondered if it was possible to play again as a player. I thought about it a lot and hesitated. But when I thought about it, I really missed the times sweating and running together with my juniors at the Athens Olympics. After retirement, we really never had a time to gather in one place. I thought this might be a chance to make good memories. Above all, as a handball person, Korean handball has become much more stagnant than before. I decided to appear because I wanted it to regain its vitality," explaining why she joined.
About the process of persuading the members, she said, "It was actually a bit difficult. I was very worried and troubled. The reason was that many juniors had left the handball world. It had been so long since we had contacted each other that I worried about what reaction my juniors would show if I suddenly called, and I was somewhat cautious. But the juniors were happy just at the idea of reuniting without hesitation, so I mustered the courage and contacted them one by one to recruit them," she said.
Asked who was the most proactive member, she said, "Lee Gong-ju had been away for so long that I really wondered, 'Will this player do it?' but she gave a positive message without hesitation, saying, 'If I'm with my sisters, I'll do anything,' which made me proud," she said.
When asked about her feelings after actually playing a match, Professor Oh Seong-ok said, "When I participated in a recreational sports event, my first concern was about injuries. I worried that my juniors' strong competitive instincts might push them too hard and cause injuries. Also, returning as a player after 20 years and reuniting with that group to play a match was itself amazing and unbelievable. I felt like I was switching between the past and the present for a moment. It was very good. I was happy," she said, revealing her overwhelming emotions.
Meanwhile, "Sisters have returned" will air on Dec. 21 at 8:10 p.m.
[Photo] KBS
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