"Failure is the process of accumulating experience"... The growth and goals of gold medalist skateboarder Kang Jun-i

Skateboarder Kang Jun-i, who was previously introduced as a prospect through SBS's 'Discovering Gifted Children', has returned with news of winning a gold medal, showing how much he has grown. In the released video, Kang Jun-i reminisces about his appearance on the program in the past and calmly shares the technical struggles and mental growth he experienced while moving toward the world stage.

"Falling a thousand times and attempting ten thousand times"... Patience until technical perfection

Kang Jun-i mentioned the period of endurance spent to perfect a specific technique. In the video, Kang Jun-i revealed that he has been practicing that particular technique for about 2 to 2.5 years. He compared the process of successfully performing the technique to "accumulating experience," explaining that the process of falling is a way of building up step-by-step to reach the technique.

When asked about the number of failures, Kang Jun-i replied that while he might have fallen about a thousand times in the past, he has likely fallen at least ten thousand times by now. He suggested that he has been honing his skills through a repetitive process of falling dozens to hundreds of times a day. In particular, recalling moments when his mental state wavered depending on the success of a technique during competitions, he shared that the support of his coach and parents was a great help in his mental recovery.

The moment of winning gold and strategic choices

Kang Jun-i shared the specific circumstances of winning the gold medal at a recent competition. He stated that during the competition, he was in a situation where he had to perform a specific technique to ensure stable management. According to the video subtitles and his remarks, Kang Jun-i chose that technique considering the score gap, and as a result, he recorded 92.4 points, winning by a gap of about 8 points over his opponent (who was in the mid-to-late 80s).

Regarding his feelings immediately after winning, he confessed that right after the landing, he felt excited as he sensed the victory, but sadness soon rushed in, causing him to shed tears. He also spoke honestly about the psychological pressure he experienced when, despite thinking it was possible in his head before attempting the technique, his body would not follow.

Constant challenges toward the Olympic Games and SLS

Not settling for his current achievements, Kang Jun-i revealed his will to aim for even higher goals. His immediate goal is to achieve good results at the World Championships scheduled for next month. As his ultimate life goal, he cited taking 1st place at the Olympic Games, and he also presented winning the 'Super Crown' of SLS (Street League Skateboarding), one of the most prestigious competitions in the skateboard street discipline, as a goal.

Kang Jun-i said that although there are moments during the training process when he does not want to do it, he continues steadily because he has to. He stated, "Challenges will remain until the day I die," and while referring to the connections he made through 'Discovering Gifted Children' in the past as life companions, he also sent a message of support for the new SBS 'Discovering Gifted Children' scheduled to air in the second half of the year.