A South Korean skater's early celebration lost his team their gold medals — and his ticket to skipping military service

• A South Korean skater narrowly missed a gold medal by celebrating too early at the 19th Asian Games.
• He ended up losing to a Taiwanese athlete who stuck their foot out to touch the finish line first.

A South Korean skater who celebrated just before crossing the finish line lost first place when another athlete extended their foot to beat him.

Jung Cheolwon, 27, was leading in the final lap of the men's speed skating 3,000-meter relay race on Monday at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Inches behind him rushed Taiwan's Huang Yu-Lin, 28, vying to overtake Jung.

Jung kept a steady lead on Huang in the final stretch, and — moments before reaching the finish line — believed victory was his.

Slowing and raising his arms in celebration, Jung didn't realize that Huang had stuck out his foot, touching the line first and denying the South Korean team their gold medals.

Officials soon confirmed that Huang's team had finished with a time of 4:05.692, while Jung's squad took second place with 4:05.702.

The margin was a hundredth of a second.

Jung's mistake lost him and his two teammates, Choi Gwangho and Choi Inho, their gold medals in the relay race.

But the repercussions of Jung's celebration extend beyond sport — it also cost him and Choi Inho their military service exemptions.

South Korean men are eligible for 18 months of mandatory military service once they turn 18, and typically have to enlist by the time they're 28.

Some, such as renowned athletes, celebrities, and artists, can defer their enlistment to when they turn 30.

But full exemptions are given to male athletes who clinch a gold medal for South Korea in pre-approved sports events like the Asian Games or the Olympics.

Choi Gwangho, who is 30, already secured his exemption on Sunday, when he won gold at the men's 1000-meter speed skating final.

Choi Inho, who is 22, still has time to earn a tournament win at the next Asian Games, held in Japan in 2026.

However, Jung will be 30 by then, and it's unclear if he'll be given a similar opportunity to obtain an exemption.

"I just made a huge mistake," Jung told South Korean news agency Yonhap. "I am really sorry to my teammates and to fans who were cheering us on."

He blamed himself for the loss. "I told them I was really sorry that I let my guard down too early and didn't finish my race. We all worked very hard together for this, and it's all my fault," Jung said, per Yonhap.