ASIAN Geographic Magazine - Issue 6 2010

In this issue

For as long as I can remember, the people that I’ve idolised and those that have been my main source of inspiration have been athletes. Their level of dedication and passion is second to none. Names like Yasuhiro Yamashita, Ryoko Tani, Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis, Ronnie Coleman, Nadia Comaneci and Mikhail Baryshniko, among others, have had their place on my bedroom wall of fame. As a child, I dreamed to be like them. As I got older and became an athlete myself, my respect and admiration for them only increased. Indeed, the accord, from a self-sacrificing lifestyle and living the pleasure of marinating in one’s passion, is truly spiritual. Athletes genuinely personify Goethe’s philosophy: Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least. As a sportsperson, this comes into play every second, in training, in competition and in life. When I hung up my belt at the age of 26, I had given 17 years of my life to one sport – 10 years of that in serious training and seven years doing only that. The grueling eight-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week training sessions allowed me to grow from child to adult in the most graceful way possible. It was where I learnt the concept of “mind over matter” first hand and acquired the ability to tolerate intense pain. It was also where I gained the ultimate knowledge of my physical body, having broken several bones, torn a few ligaments and been under the care of Korean and Chinese traditional doctors. Recalling this mostly private side of my life as a competitor is not to impress you, but to impress upon you the glory of sport and...