GANGNEUNG, SOUTHWEST KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock celebrities with the Pyeongchang Olympics are a modest group regarding Korean curlers who possess no idea they’ve come to be a worldwide sense.

They are known as typically the “Garlic Girls, ” typically the Southerly Korean women’s curling crew with the fairy story story in whose moniker demonstrates the locally well known garlic herb grown in their hometown. Never considered a medal contender coming into Pyeongchang, these people have risen to Not any. just one in the search rankings, earning world-wide attention for their fierce expertise in addition to funny personas.

Yet this Garlic oil Girls have been pretty much totally sheltered from global frenzy both by way of personal choice — many people made off their phones over the games to block outside awareness — and by way of a protective coach who also is keenly which curling is as much a new mind game as a physical one.
South Korea's Betty Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice cubes with a teammate during their fit towards Russian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics around Gangneung, South Korea, February. twenty one, 2018.
? Famous plus they may know it

After a good recent match, the ladies were quickly shuffled former waiting reporters, giving political press apologetic happiness and hola of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before vanishing. None of them, says coach The reality star Min-jung, are informed the fact that they’ve become famous people.

“I’m sorry that I actually wasn't able to bring the athletes today, for the reason that I’m worried at this time there will be too much strain and burden on them, ” Kim said. “Even often the crowd is too interested in them. ”

That interest is understandable. The Garlic herb Girls seem tailor-made intended for stardom.

The largely experienced underdogs came into the Olympics ranked eighth inside the world and travelled on to crush curling heavyweights including The us together with Sweden. They are lovely and comical, mentioning to be able to by themselves by quirky nicknames including “Pancake” and “Steak. ”

Two teammates usually are siblings and all are really longtime pals, creating alluring chemistry in the ice. This team’s “skip, ” or captain, has a steely eyes and cool, owl-eyed cups that have come to be fodder for endless Web memes.

Screaming fans

Numerous Koreans who have never observed a curling match possess traveled to remote Gangneung to peek at their own nation’s new darlings throughout person.

“I’m very happy of them, ” claimed Lee Ji Sunrays, a 26-year-old who had by no means been inside a curling industry before Wednesday’s complement. “They are showing we can excel even in new sport functions. ”

Every match offering the team is packed with shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans who else jump to their ft to cheer on the women’s stunningly correct photos. One fan inside the market Wednesday waved what made an appearance to be a hand-drawn family portrait of skip Kim Eun-jung with her signiture move spectacles.
South Korea's could curling staff celebrate following beating European athletes during their match within the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, February. twenty one, 2018.
? Late towards the video game of curling

The fact that being different has gained just about any importance in Korea can be unusual in itself. Korea didn’t even have a workforce around Olympic curling right until the 2014 Sochi Online games.

컬링 took Koreans a little bit to wake up to be able to curling, largely because typically the region lacked sufficient establishments right up until recent years, Betty Young, the curling tale who started typically the Korean language Curling Club 23 years ago, stated by email. Nowadays, he says, Korea has half a dozen dedicated curling domains, and many schools have curling teams.

In 2006, South Korea’s first curling center has been inbuilt the rural area of Uiseong. Four of the five business friends joined in Uiseong Women’s Senior high school, just where they were on the particular school’s curling team. Uiseong’s popularity as the nation’s default curling capital little by little grew, as well as curling middle has managed about twelve major national and intercontinental curling activities.

Garlic and even those nicknames

Nonetheless, till the women’s team begun their surprise winning talent in Pyeongchang, Uiseong was better known for the respected garlic herb production.

Koreans consider garlic cloves a well being foodstuff that boosts vigor. Search engine optimization Eun Ha, some sort of 26-year-old Garlic herb Girls admirer, believes garlic herb may have contributed to often the team’s success. (She in addition breaks the women’s very good team-work and tough associations. )

Like quite a few enthusiasts at Gangneung, Seo is particularly affectionate towards of the curlers’ unusual nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand connected with yogurt) and ChoCho (a form of cookie).

“I imagine their nicknames go in reality with their energetic images, ” Seo explained. “I like ‘Steak’ the best. The idea sounds so funny together with unique. ”

The nicknames started as a gag over breakfast one day, mentioned Kim, the prepare. The women had been talking with regards to how complicated it was for other countries’ runners to pronounce their very own brands at international competitive events. Most five team members and the coach also share the exact same surname — Kim, which is very common in Korea — making their titles more confounding for outsiders.

Ellie Seon-yeong, who seemed to be eating a new sunny-side-up deep-fried egg, joked that the lady could pass the title “Sunny. ” Another girls loved the idea. Both opted to nickname on their own after the English words for their favorite breakfast foodstuff, figuring that would be easier for others to seize.

Though the women’s team is getting the almost all consideration, Korean fans currently have recently been proceeding wild intended for the men, very. Immediately after Wednesday’s men’s match, a gamer from the Korean team began throwing Tee shirts into the crowd, which will surged forward with outstretched forearms.

Kim Heae Darm, a good fan who hopped upward and managed for you to snag the shirt marining overhead, shoved it in order to her face and screamed with glee. Your woman next turned to capturing the particular attention of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, who scrawled his autograph in her notebook.

Since she struggled to get her breath, she revealed her excitement by noticing that Lee was robust, specific sport and “very attractive. ”

As for the particular accomplishment from the women’s staff, Kim, this founder associated with the curling membership, couldn’t be prouder. “They will be heroes! ” this individual explained.


Yet the Garlic Ladies do have one obtain: Maybe someone could take place up with a greater team name for them?

“We would prefer the particular name ‘Team Betty, ’” Kim, the discipline, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown is usually Uiseong — which is definitely associated with garlic — most of us have not any partnership using garlic by any means. ”