Song Dae-nam was then nominated as the flagbearer for Korea in the closing ceremony.
43 Facts About Song Dae-nam
1.
2.
Song Dae-nam is best known as the head coach of the South Korea Men's National Team, having produced two world champions in his first year as head coach.
3.
Song Dae-nam moved up a weight class from half-middleweight to middleweight in 2012 after constant defeats to teammate Kim Jae-bum and inability to qualify for the Olympics in 2008.
4.
Song Dae-nam is an alumnus of Kumoh Elementary School, Kyung-min Middle School and Kyung-min High School.
5.
Song Dae-nam served in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces as a sergeant, and represented them at the Military World Games in 2003, winning gold in the lightweight category.
6.
Song Dae-nam then competed in the 2005 Kracup Korea Open in Jeju, and finished second.
7.
Song Dae-nam competed at the Super World Cup Tournoi de Paris a month later, losing to Italy's Giuseppe Maddaloni for his third consecutive silver.
8.
Song Dae-nam continued his winning streak at the 2006 Kracup Korea Open, winning gold.
9.
In 2007, Song Dae-nam participated at the Super World Cup in Paris, but lost in his first fight.
10.
Song Dae-nam redeemed himself at his second Jigoro Kano Cup, surprisingly beating Takashi Ono in the final for gold.
11.
In 2008, just months before the Olympics, Song Dae-nam competed in the Super World Cup in Paris again, but set-backs began as he lost in his second fight.
12.
Post-Olympics, Song Dae-nam won two consecutive competitions, the International Judo Cup in Dubrovnik and Megion International Judo Tournament.
13.
Song Dae-nam won his first Grand Slam in Paris, where he met long-time rival and teammate Kim in the final.
14.
Song Dae-nam won the gold due to Kim's injury that led to a concession.
15.
Song Dae-nam next participated at the Grand Slam in Moscow, where he participated in ippon judo in his first two fights.
16.
Song Dae-nam lost by ippon to Belarus' Aliaksandr Stsiashenka in the semi-final, finishing fifth.
17.
Song Dae-nam redeemed himself at the World Cup in Ulaanbaatar, where he won the tournament.
18.
Song Dae-nam beat Mongolia's Dashdavaa Gantumur in just 21 seconds by ippon in the final.
19.
In 2010, Song Dae-nam competed in his first Masters at home ground in Suwon, but failed to medal, losing his second fight to Russia's Sirazhudin Magomedov by ippon.
20.
Song Dae-nam's losses continued to mount in the high level competitions, as he finished seventh at the Grand Slam in Paris, failing to defend his title.
21.
At the Grand Prix in Dusseldorf, Song Dae-nam again failed to medal, losing to prime rival Kim by waza-ari in golden score, after nearly eight minutes, in the semi-final.
22.
Song Dae-nam remained on the losing end with his rivalry with Kim, losing in the final by ippon at the World Cup in Prague.
23.
Song Dae-nam won another silver medal at the Grand Slam in Moscow, losing to Russia's Ivan Nifontov with harai goshi by ippon in the final.
24.
Song Dae-nam next participated in his first World Championships in Tokyo, which was his last competition as a half-middleweight.
25.
Song Dae-nam lost in his third fight to France's Loic Pietri by waza-ari and ippon.
26.
Song Dae-nam moved up a weight class in 2011, returning to the Grand Slam in Moscow as a middleweight.
27.
Song Dae-nam eventually won at the World Cup in Ulaanbaatar, defeating Russia's Kirill Voprosov in the final by ippon.
28.
Song Dae-nam then lost in the semi-final at the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi to rising Georgian star Varlam Liparteliani by ippon in just 47 seconds.
29.
Song Dae-nam managed to redeem himself at the World Cup in Suwon, winning all his fights by ippon, making the tournament his best in terms of performance.
30.
At the Grand Slam in Tokyo, Song Dae-nam faced Voprosov in a revenge match in the quarter-final.
31.
In 2012, Song Dae-nam continued to crash out early in tournaments just five months before the Olympics.
32.
Song Dae-nam lost in the quarter-final of the Grand Slam in Paris to Ukraine's Roman Guntiuk by ippon.
33.
At the last tournament before the Olympics, Song Dae-nam came close to clinching a title, however narrowly lost by yuko to Liparteliani in the final.
34.
En route to the final, Song Dae-nam beat former world champion Lee Kyu-won in the semi-final by ippon and outranked him in the Olympic qualifiers rankings, allowing Song Dae-nam to represent Korea in the middleweight division at the Olympics.
35.
Six months before the Olympics, Song Dae-nam ranked number 25 in the world rankings.
36.
Song Dae-nam was a complete surprise, reaching the final, and was set to face world number seven Asley Gonzalez, who was ten years younger than him.
37.
Song Dae-nam defeated Gonzalez in golden score with an unorthodox kouchi gari.
38.
Song Dae-nam became the oldest Olympic gold medalist in judo, at age 33.
39.
Song Dae-nam was one of the two South Korean Olympic champions at the tournament, with the other ironically being his old-time rival, Kim.
40.
Song Dae-nam returned to the South Korea National Team as a coach for the men's lightweight, half-middleweight and middleweight.
41.
Song Dae-nam has been promoted to head coach of the men's national team.
42.
Song Dae-nam is a strict coach who is much respected by his students.
43.
Under Song Dae-nam, Korea has produced two world champions with An Baul and Gwak Dong-han, and bronze medalists Kim Won-jin and An Chang-rim.