Wrestler wanted to be ‘proud father’ for young daughter

JAKARTA, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) — South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler Cho Hyo-chul captured his first Asian Games gold medal here on Wednesday, but he wanted to be more than just a champion on the mat.

He wanted to be a proud father for his three-year-old daughter, Seo-yoon.

With his daughter and his wife, Kim Young-jin, in the stands at Jakarta Convention Center Assembly Hall, Cho defeated Xiao Di of China 5-4 to win the men’s 97kg title — all the while wearing bandage around his forehead over cuts suffered in an earlier match.

South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler Cho Hyo-chul enjoys a tender moment with his wife Kim Young-jin and daughter Seo-yoon after winning gold medal in the men’s 97kg class at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta on Aug. 22, 2018. (Yonhap)

“I couldn’t give up so easily with my family watching,” Cho said. “I wanted to be remembered as a father who won a gold medal on a big stage. So I gave every last ounce of my energy.”

Cho had been a virtual unknown, and the late bloomer finally got his first Asiad title at age 31. Knowing this would also be his last Asian Games, Cho brought his young family with him to Jakarta.

And he put on an inspiring show for his family. Down 4-1 in the final to Xiao with about two minutes remaining, Cho scored four points and hung tough for the title.

“If I had gone down, I thought I would regret it the rest of my life,” Cho said. “The final minute felt like an hour. It was so hard but I kept my family in my thoughts over those last moments.”