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February 14, 2014

Yun Sung-bin shows promise in skeleton

Yun Sung-bin in skeleton made some noise after the two opening races at Sanki Sliding Center. (Yonhap)

Yun Sung-bin in skeleton made some noise after the two opening races at Sanki Sliding Center. (Yonhap)

South Korea didn’t pick up any medals on Friday at the Sochi Winter Olympics, but saw hope for one in skeleton in the future.

On a relatively quiet day for Team Korea, Yun Sung-bin in skeleton made some noise after the two opening races at Sanki Sliding Center. Yun ranked 13th among 27 sledders with the combined time of 1:54.56.

The sledders will return for two more runs on Saturday and the total amount of time after all four races will determine the final standings.

Yun, 19, began his skeleton career barely two years ago but already has an international win to his credit. His surprising victory at the Intercontinental Cup stop in Whistler, Canada, in early January helped place him at No. 20 on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) world rankings as of Jan. 20, well inside the Olympic qualification zone of the top 60.

In Sochi, Yun is eyeing a top-15 finish, which would be the best Olympic showing by a South Korean in skeleton. Kang Kwang-bae, a pioneer in South Korean sledding sports and currently an FIBT vice president, ranked 20th and 23rd in 2002 and 2006, while Cho In-ho, Yun’s current coach, finished in 22nd in 2010.

After his two races, Yun said he was a little disappointed with his maneuvering, but he didn’t have any major difficulty fighting nerves as a first-time Olympian. “I was somewhat nervous before the first race,” he said. “But I didn’t feel anything special for the second race.”

Though he may even have a shot at a top-10 finish, Yun said he won’t change his goal. “I don’t know where I am going to end up, but my goal is still to rank inside the top 15,” he said. “Having watched other athletes compete at the Olympics, I realized I still have so much to learn.”