Watch | South Korean skater celebrates prematurely, loses out on gold by fraction of a second

South Korean roller skater Jung Cheol-won endured an agonising heartbreak after he celebrated a tad too early before crossing the finishline. Leading the 3,000-metre relay race at the Hangzhou Asian Games in China on Monday (October 2), Jung eased up and raised his arms in the home stretch of the race, only to be pipped by Taiwan'sHuang Yu-Lin and his outstretched leg on the line.

The 27-year-old South Korean was poised to finish the race in the first place but his momentary lapse in concentration not only caused his team to lose out onthe gold medal but also meant that they would now have to mandatorily enrol in the country'smilitary service.

“I made a rather big mistake,” Jung was quoted as saying by Reuters. “I didn’t come at full speed to the finish line. I let my guard down too early. I am very sorry.”

Taiwan's Huang Yu-Lin finished first after overtaking Jung by a fraction of a second. While South Korea crossed the line in second place with a time of4:05.702, Taiwan won the gold with a time of4:05.692 - meaning the difference was an infinitesimal 0.01 seconds. India won the bronze medal with a time of4:10.128.

“I thought it was such a shame that I was just a little bit short, and then the results came up on the screen showing that we had won by one hundredth of a second, and it was just a miracle,” Huang said after the race, according to Reuters.

The result means that Jung and his teammates may have missed out on an exemption from having to take part in the country's militaryservice, Under the South Korean law, every able-bodied individual is mandated to serve in the army for 18 months by the age of 28.

The mandatory military servicer, however,can be waived for athletes and K-pop stars who excel. Those who win an Olympic medal or a gold medal in the Asian Games are granted the exemption.

Celebrating while on the cusp of a victory is an involuntary habit that most athletes possess. One remembers Usain Bolt sprinting at full tilt while sheepishly looking over his shoulder and grinning while the competition huffed and puffed to keep up with him. However, once in a while, there comes a reminder that celebrating too early, before crossing the finish line can have its consequences as well.

(With inputs from agencies)

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