[Sportschosun reporter Jeong An-ji] Rael, the daughter of broadcaster Hong Jin-kyung, revealed a chilling story about how she once took on a 360-degree spin at a ski camp in Japan, fully prepared to risk it all.
On the 20th, a video titled "Hong Jin-kyung Didn't Even Know This Story: Rael Nearly Died While Skiing, Revealed for the First Time" was uploaded to the YouTube channel Study King Jin Jin Jae Hong Jin Kyung.
In the video, Rael answered a question about the most unbelievable experience of her life and recalled what happened at a ski camp in Japan earlier this year.
Rael remembered the moment, saying that the Japanese kids there knew she had once been a youth national team member and teased her, asking, "You weren't on the national team and still can't do a 180 or a tail grab, right?"
She added, "My main event was ski cross, so I'm not good at aerial tricks. I've never really tried them," and said, "But as soon as we got there, they told me to try a trick." Her skis were racing skis, which are much heavier than regular skis, harder to spin, and almost impossible to land with. Still, Rael managed to land a 180-degree spin and even a tail grab. Her friends then pushed further and asked whether she could do a 360. A 360 is a very difficult trick that starts backward and ends backward.
Rael said, "I was too embarrassed to say I couldn't do it. Before I knew it, I said I could, and they told me to give it a try," adding, "In the end, I failed."
The reaction from her friends left a deep wound. She said, "It was the worst trauma of my life. Every single one of them kept saying, 'How can you represent Korea with that level of skill?' and 'Was Korean skiing really this weak?' I was under so much stress."
Rael explained that she was not on the youth national team for long, only briefly in the lower grades of elementary school. But after being hurt by her pride, she kept practicing the 360 that night and again as soon as the slopes opened the next morning.
She still had not landed a single 360 when the group gathered again, and she recalled how anxious she felt. Then an unexpected situation arose. She had taken the wrong path and ended up at an advanced jump section that dropped off like a cliff.
Rael said, "I jumped thinking, 'Even if I die, I'm landing this 360 before I die.'" She added, "When I came to my senses, I wasn't falling. I had landed it."
Rael explained, "Not only my group, but even people passing by were applauding." She continued, "The teacher said that with the skis you all were wearing, anyone could spin after a little practice, but with my skis, you can't do it. Even I find it hard to land a 360."
Rael admitted, "I really thought I was going to die. I thought, 'So this is how it ends.'" She went on, "Right before I jumped, I was thinking, 'Fine, I'll do it here and die.' But after I jumped, I thought, 'I really died.'" Her words shocked her mother when she said, "I lived my short life without regrets."
Rael said, "I don't even remember that moment. I probably jumped with my eyes closed." She added, "The moment I saw their faces after I succeeded, I could feel everything. They looked like they were thinking, 'She actually did it,' and 'She's ruthless.'"
anjee85@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
