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S.Korean athletes get rapturous welcome home
SEOUL — South Korean athletes led by figure skater Kim Yu-Na received a rapturous welcome from more than 1,000 fans Tuesday on their return home in triumph from the Vancouver…
SEOUL — South Korean athletes led by figure skater Kim Yu-Na received a rapturous welcome from more than 1,000 fans Tuesday on their return home in triumph from the Vancouver Winter Olympics.A huge banner reading "We are very proud of you who boosted our national prestige" greeted them as the contestants, with garlands around their necks, appeared in the lobby of Incheon International Airport.Some supporters jumped for joy, screaming the names of Kim and other medallists.Kim, dubbed "Queen Yu-Na" in South Korea, where she has iconic status, smiled and waved a giant national flag in front of 45 other athletes.The 19-year-old world champion won gold in the women's figure skating -- setting a new Olympic and all-time record of 228.56 points with her flawless performances."I express my heartfelt thanks for your warm welcome," she told a nationally televised news conference."I'm proud of our athletes who scored good results, and I'm happy I could contribute to such results even a little bit."South Korea finished fifth in the medals table with a record six gold, six silver and two bronze medals.Kim said she would think about competing at the next winter Olympics in the Russian town of Sochi after completing this season."The technique I showed this season is my best and I did it flawlessly. I want to perform without mistakes for the upcoming world championships," she said.Supporters hope the country's success will boost Pyeongchang's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.Despite South Korea's traditional dominance in short-track speed skating, it won only two golds in that discipline compared with six at the 2006 Turin Olympics.But Lee Seung-Hoon became the first Asian to win a Olympic title in the long-distance men's 10,000-metre race, while Mo Tae-Bum and Lee Sang-Hwa won the men's and women's 500-metre track competitions.The sports ministry said the government would provide a cash reward of 40 million won (34,722 dollars) to each of the gold medallists, 20 million won to silver medallists and 12 million to br
last modification 2010-03-02 16:30:24
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