“I’m more excited than nervous,” said South Korean breaker Jeon Jeon Yeon (24-Freshbella) ahead of her first Asian Games appearance. I will definitely sing the national anthem for Hangzhou,” she beamed.
Breaking, a form of hip-hop dance that originated in New York City, was first adopted as an official sport at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Jeon Jeon-ye, who started practicing as an idol in the third grade of middle school, has excelled in dance since childhood and is now a national athlete as well as an artist.
After renting a practice room to train as a team or individually, Jeon moved into the Jincheon Athletes’ Village with a Korean flag on her chest, where she prepared for the Asian Games alongside other national athletes.
For Jeon, who is used to the practice room, the athletes’ village itself was a new experience. “When I went to the weight room, I saw athletes from various sports in full force and everyone was training hard, and it was very impressive,” Jeon said in a phone interview with News1. “I also felt a new sense of pride and responsibility as a ‘national team member,’ so my training intensity increased spontaneously,” she laughed.
On the day of the interview, Jeon Jeon-ye, who stayed up until 10 p.m. to improve her skills, said, “I’m going to be practicing for the Asian Games for the first time. It’s a big competition, so I’m nervous, but I’m definitely more excited than nervous,” he said.
“At the World Championships in Portugal last August, I was not in good shape a week before the competition due to the aftermath of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). I was definitely nervous then,” he said, “but now my condition has improved a lot. I’m more excited than nervous.”
Jeon will depart for Belgium on March 20 to compete at the 2023 World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking World Championships. She will return home on the 26th and move back into the Jincheon Athletes’ Village before arriving in Hangzhou on October 3rd. “After Belgium, my expectations will be even higher than they are now,” Jeon said, vowing to improve her skills.
When she was an idol trainee, Jeon Jeon Ye used to have camera anxiety. But now, she has grown into a gold medalist with the world’s eyes on her and erased her shortcomings.
“After I started breaking in earnest, I didn’t have any jitters. I don’t feel the pressure of the camera or the audience watching me, but only the tension that comes from fighting with myself.”
“At the Asian Games, I just want to focus on showing 100 percent of what I’ve prepared, and then I won’t have any regrets,” he added.
For Jeon, who has only competed in breaking events, the Asian Games as a multi-sport event may be a bit unfamiliar.메이저사이트
“When I won third place at the Asian Championships, I felt strange and my heart was pounding when I saw the flag on the podium. It was the first time I felt this way,” he said, adding, “I hope that at the Asian Games, I will be standing on the highest part of the podium and the national anthem will be played.”
Finally, Jeon Jeon-ye said, “I can definitely feel that people’s attention and eyes have increased in the lead-up to the Asian Games. I want to live up to the expectations with a performance without regrets. Regardless of the outcome, I feel that this Asian Games will be a turning point for me to grow mentally.”
Meanwhile, Breaking Asian Games will feature a one-on-one competition in each match. Teams take turns pitting their breaking skills against each other for 60 seconds to a random song from a list. Nine judges will score them based on five factors to determine the winner.