|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
No fairy-tale ending Loss ends feel-good story of friendsLatest: Sunday October 08, 2000 05:19 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Esther Kim stepped aside at the U.S. Olympics Trials so her injured friend Kay Poe could represent the United States in Sydney. While Kim watched in the stands, Poe's hopes for a gold medal in taekwondo end with a first-round loss. Then the bronze-medal hopes came to an end as well. But while the medals got away, Kim said her sacrifice wasn't wasted. "I'm proud of her, win or lose," Kim said. "She should be proud. She hasn't let anyone down." The story behind Poe's trip to the Olympics has been among the most captivating of the games. For years, Kim, 20, and Poe, 18, had trained together in Houston under the coaching of Kim's father, Jim Won Kim.
Kim, who would have been an underdog if Poe had been healthy, decided to give up her chance to make the team by forfeiting the match to Poe -- a decision her father supported. Kim's decision to sacrifice her own chance to compete in Sydney was soon picked up by the media, and before long she was even telling it on the Oprah Winfrey television show. Kim was invited to the games at the invitation of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, and watched from the stands as Poe took to the ring for her first bout. At first, Poe looked like a solid bet. Poe led Hanne Hoegh Poulsen of Denmark 3-1 going into the final round, but appeared overwhelmed as Poulsen outscored her 4-0 in the final period. Poulsen had one point deducted to finish with the one-point victory. "I was much more cautious today than usual," Poe said. "I'm usually very aggressive, but today I just didn't play my game." Poe said she wasn't distracted by all the media attention her story has gotten. "At first I was in total shock about all the publicity that we had gotten," she said. "But I think I didn't let it affect me as much as before. "I'm representing me and Esther," she said. "But I'm also representing the rest of the country, my parents, my training partners, my coaches, which everybody else has as well. So that's part of the Olympic Games." Kim shouted advice to her friend throughout the bout, telling her to watch the way Poulsen was repeatedly throwing the same kind of kick combination. And though her friend lost, she said their friendship is probably now even stronger. "She got to this point, she's already a winner," Kim said. "She got to the Olympics. How many people get that chance? I know she really wants to try again in 2004." Kim said she was satisfied with her own Olympic experience also, though she never got into the ring. "It was kind of like I was out there anyway," Kim said. "I've experienced almost everything the other Olympians have done. The only difference is that I don't get to walk in the opening and closing ceremonies, stay in the Olympic village and compete. "I don't regret it at all," she said. "I'm grateful and thankful to be out here." Are the 2004 Olympics in her future plans? "Hopefully not," she said. "I think after another year or two I'm done. I'm going on 15 years in taekwondo. I really want to start living a normal life and doing the things I haven't been able to do." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
|
