PUBLISHED ONFebruary 23, 2023 10:24 AMByDrima ChakrabortyAfter a month of showing us inhuman feats of strength, heartwarming sportsmanship and chiselled bods, Netflix's Physical: 100 has come to an end.
Woo Jin-yong, who beat 99 others and claimed victory, had first learnt of the game show from a call to his CrossFit gym.
"When I heard the producers' intentions for the show, I actually thought, 'It could go against me'. I don't like flexibility," he told W Korea in an interview. "But when I heard that it would be a mixed show with men and women, my interest was piqued. I made it my goal to reach the top 50."
It's safe to say he far exceeded his own expectations, but winning the programme and getting his 300 million won (S$310,000) prize money hasn't put an end to his aspirations.
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The former national snowboarder said: "I haven't realised my Olympic dreams yet."
He revealed that his path to pro snowboarding had been difficult, as South Korea had no professional team when he first started. He had called up the ski association to express interest in going for competitions, and worked in the construction industry to raise funds to do so.
Despite coming in second in Asia, Woo Jin-yong said during the Physical: 100 finale that his discipline — snowboard cross — was dropped by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics so they could focus on "more promising" sports.
Since then, he has coached the national snowboarding team and runs a CrossFit gym.
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He added during the interview: "One day, I want to go to the Olympics with my athletes as a national team coach. I believe it will be possible for the 2026 Italian Olympics."
Another athlete aiming for the 2026 Winter Olympics is fellow top five contestant Park Jin-yong, who has already competed in the prestigious event as a luger thrice.
A far cry from the beginning of his training, when he had no sled or equipment and even had to borrow equipment from foreign athletes, Park Jin-yong now thinks he's the best luger in Asia.
He even competed in Physical: 100 to bring more attention to his sport, saying: "Rank is not important to me. I tried to survive to the end somehow, I had to become famous so that luge could be known as a sport."
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He added: "Everyone on our national luge team is working hard. Honestly, if we upgraded our sled to a better one, we could even win a world medal.
"All the players and coaches think so, and they have confidence. So please look forward to the 2026 Olympics in Italy."
Though her sport isn't an Olympic discipline, ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling) athlete Park Min-ji has high hopes for herself too.
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"When you win a competition, the title Jangsa (loosely translated as 'strong man') is put in front of your name. My goal is to win 10 competitions before I retire," she said.
Referring to herself as the "Goddess of the Sand" during her stint in Physical: 100, only time will tell if Min-ji receives the coveted title of Cheonhajangsa (world's strongest person).
Shim Eu-ddeum was a well-known figure in the fitness scene even before her appearance on Physical: 100, boasting 1.4 million followers on her YouTube channel.
But her path to success was filled with adversity, from being born premature at just 2.2kg to suffering a debilitating injury in a car accident in the US back in 2012 that left her temporarily paralysed.
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She revealed about her strenuous work schedule: "I shoot about 10 YouTube videos a day, and I play football for 4 hours, or do powerlifting.
"If you do this for three days a week in a row, it's hard enough to make you think, 'Am I even alive right now?'
"But even on physically-demanding days, when the last schedule of the day is powerlifting, I feel especially excited and my adrenaline soars. It's an exercise that gives you confidence in yourself and strengthens your mental state every time you lift weights."
She can even lift strongman Jo Jin-hyeong, who boasts a hulking physique: His thighs are about 31 inches in diameter, with 21-inch arms and a 20-inch neck.
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Jin-hyeong revealed about his path to brawniness: "In the past, there was a lack of information about diet compared to nowadays. They said that milk was a complete food source, so I drank 3 litres a day. I also ate 1.5 kg of chicken breast."
"You too can become like me if you exercise regularly and eat well," he laughed.
Despite that, he was a scrawny kid right up to middle school and still feels he's a "small person" on the inside, only having grown in size.
"That's why people who have talked to me say I'm cute," he said. "It's embarrassing, but I don't hate it either."
drimac@asiaone.com
