Netizens feel sorry to find out why Song Joong-ki gave up his 12-year career as a short track speed skater
Actor Song Joong-ki’s past as a former short track speed skater is being put in the spotlight again.
On February 10th, a post titled “The Real Reason Song Joong-ki quit short track speed skating” was posted on the comedy page “연예저장소” (Entertainment Saving Place).
Before his debut in the entertainment industry, Song Joong-ki lived the life of an athlete as he had been a short-track skater for about 12 years since the first grade of elementary school.
He is known to have been a promising short-track speed skater potential enough to compete in the national sports competition three times as a representative athlete of Daejeon Metropolitan City.
Earlier, Song Joong-ki appeared on SBS variety program “Strong Heart” in 2010 and said, “I did short track speed skating for about 10 years until middle school.” He admitted that he was a short track speed skater himself, saying that he also played for the Daejeon Metropolitan City national team for six years.
He also said he was a short track speed skater when asked if he could run well during the audition for his film debut film “A Frozen Flower.” “I think this answer helped me pass,” he said, drawing attention.
However, after 12 years of short-track speed skating, Song Joong-ki completely gave up his career.
In this regard, reporters and pop culture critics from the entertainment industry explained on Channel A’s show “Rumor Has It” in 2018 that “Song Joong-ki’s ankle injury became a difficulty for him to practice.”
Also, “At that time, there were some ‘partisan controversies’ at schools and teams regarding short track speed skating. “It was a big social issue, but I think bad problems arose because short track speed skating was a main category for gold medals,” he said.
Song Joong-ki, who quit the sport, later devoted himself to studying and entered the Department of Business Administration at Sungkyunkwan University by retaking the university entrance exam. After his debut in the entertainment industry, he has grown a lot and become a top star.
Song Joong-ki showed off his skating skills by playing the role of short track national gold medalist Ji Poong-ho in the MBC drama “Triple,” which aired in 2009.
