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Sliders from host nations have enjoyed a competitive edge in
recent Winter Games as they have the opportunity to train on the
Olympic track more often than their rivals and are familiar with
every twist and turn on the course.
Won, the pilot, and Seo, his brakeman, are one of the main medal
hopes for the host nation in the sliding events, which will be
held at Pyeongchang's Alpensia Sliding Centre.
"The ultimate goal for athletes is to win an Olympic gold
medal," Won was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. "We want
the people to think that we won the medal because we were good
enough to do so, not just because we were racing at home."
The duo won the World Cup series last year but have struggled
this season, failing to record a victory and finishing outside
the top 10 in two World Cup stops.
Yun Sung-bin, who is South Korea's sole medal hope in the men's
skeleton, wants to let his results do the talking next season as
he builds up to Pyeongchang.
During the eight World Cup events of the 2016-17 season, Yun won
once and finished as runner-up three times, including the season
finale at Alpensia earlier this month, where he lost to Latvia's
Martins Dukurs by 0.01 seconds.
"I didn't think I'd get beat at the time, but I think a tiny
mistake made the difference," Yun said. "If I continue to work
harder, I should post better results. I'll let my times do the
talking next season."
The last two men's Olympic skeleton champions have come from the
host nations.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru)
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