South Korea's 'League of Legends' national team member 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je, who led the team to the finals, once drew attention for walking around the Taegeukgi (Korean flag) on the floor during showmatches. Regarding this, 'Zeus' shared that he was reminded of the club crest culture in overseas football that he enjoys watching, calling it a sign of respect toward the flag.
On October 1, South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the Asian Games semifinals held at Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Speaking after the match, Choi Woo-je shared his thoughts: "It's amazing that it's already the finals when it's only the second day of the tournament. It hasn't quite set in yet, but I'm excited."
Regarding his action of walking around the national flag displayed on the floor during team entrance at the showmatches, he explained that it was a natural expression of respect. Choi said, "Before walking in, I saw the flag displayed large on the screen. Knowing that in overseas football—which I usually enjoy watching—there is a culture of avoiding stepping on team crests, I showed respect."
Even in his second Asian Games, the pressure and tension of representing the country remained the same. However, he explained that he felt more composed than during his first appearance. Choi stated, "At my first Asian Games, I felt a lot of pressure and tension. That is still true now, but I think I've become a bit more composed."
Their semifinal opponent, Saudi Arabia, was tougher than expected. Choi mentioned that he had questions about their strength due to a lack of data on the opponent, evaluating, "They were a more refined and skilled team than expected. There were difficult moments during the match as well, so I think they were a tricky opponent."
The top Nidalee pick in Game 2 was an option found on the spot. However, the possibility of swapping positions between Nidalee and Olaf had already been kept in mind. Choi explained, "When talking with Canyon and the coaching staff, we always considered flexing Olaf. Even in an improvised situation, I think we found a good option."
He was not overly concerned about physical stamina for the best-of-five finals starting at noon. Choi said, "My daily rhythm has been moved up by about six hours compared to usual, so my mind is fully awake around noon." Under the guidance of head coach Kang Dong-hoon, he practiced waking up early starting a month ago, explaining that while it was difficult at first, he gradually adjusted his schedule and now wakes up around 6:00 to 7:00 AM.
In the rematch against Taiwan, he vowed to show a better performance than in the group stage. While Choi noted that he does not have much data or head-to-head experience against the opposing top laner, he felt during their group stage match that the opponent was quite decent. He added, "I don't think I showed my full ability in that match, so I believe I can perform better in the finals."
He also expressed excitement for the final stage with an audience present. Choi mentioned that it was disappointing that there were no spectators during the semifinals and that they could not watch matches of other countries. He noted, "I heard there will be a crowd in the finals, so I'm looking forward to it," adding, "Our team has many players who have played in plenty of finals, so it should work to our advantage."
