(Olympics) Curling coach expects S. Korea to thrive under less pressure in Beijing

By Yoo Jee-ho

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- At the previous Winter Games in South Korea four years ago, the women's curling team representing the host country made an improbable run to the final and claimed the silver medal, becoming the darling of the competition along the way.

With increasing attention came mounting pressure to come through for the eager home fans. Peter Gallant, the Canadian-born coach of Team Kim, marveled at his athletes' ability to perform at a high level then.

Back with the team for their second Winter Games together in Beijing, Gallant thinks his curlers will face far less pressure, which he believes can only help the team.

"It's totally different now. The pressure is not there like it was before. No one is talking about Team Kim like they're talking about Jennifer Jones," Gallant said after a training session at the National Aquatics Centre on Wednesday, referencing the Canadian skip. "(The South Korean curlers) can enjoy it a little more. They can be a little more relaxed without the weight of the world on them. They can just enjoy the week, play the best and hope for good results. They know they're a good team. They've beaten all these teams."

Gallant's earlier contract with the team expired after the 2018 Olympics and he wasn't initially brought back. But he stayed in touch with the curlers, and even attended the wedding of the team's skip, Kim Eun-jung, the following summer. They were reunited well in time for Beijing, and Gallant couldn't have been happier.

"It's fantastic. They're like daughters to me," he said of competing in the second straight Olympics with Team Kim. "I was coaching the (South Korean) men's team for a period of time. There was never any more than three or four months without being in touch with them or on ice with them for events. It was pretty easy to come back to them. No catching up. We knew everything that was going on."

Gallant said he's especially proud of the curlers to have come out stronger after enduring years of emotional and verbal abuse from national team coaches and senior national curling officials. The disgraced figures have been banned for life from the sport after the curlers went public with their accusations after the 2018 Olympics. Gallant said he and his athletes have tried to put the situation behind them.

"They've proved how tough they are mentally to come through all those tough times and still be able to compete and play well after all that happened to them," Gallant said. "I am really proud of them. I am happy that they're still playing at a high level."

South Korea will open its round robin competition against Canada on Thursday. Teams will each play nine round robin games, and the top four teams at the end will reach the semifinals.

"It's a really hard field. There's no easy game," Gallant said. "You can't really start looking ahead to the end of the week and thinking we're going to be in the playoffs. Everybody is taking it a game at a time."

This won't be the first time that Gallant is coaching against the team from his native country, and he always tries not to think about the situation too much.

"I want Canada to do well. But I am coaching this team and I want to win," Gallant said. "We want to win that game. After that, I hope they (Canada) do well. That's just the way it is."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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