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[스포츠뉴스]Why this athlete quit her 'dream job' at Google to play flag football in the Olympics

온카뱅크관리자

2025-04-29 11:49:00

<div class="ab_photo photo_center "> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/04/29/0000069279_001_20250429115010990.jpg" alt="" />Suh Ga-eun poses for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the JoongAng Building in western Seoul on April 23. [JOONGANG ILBO] </div> </div> When flag football debuts at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after being selected as one of the new sports by the International Olympic Committee on April 10, most Koreans still might not know the rules, but Suh Ga-eun will be on the field, chasing gold. A Google-employee-turned-national-team-running-back, Suh quit her “dream job” to pursue an Olympic dream in a sport barely known in Korea. The sport is a noncontact version of American football, where instead of tackling, players stop the ball carrier by pulling a flag attached to the waist. The game emphasizes speed, agility and strategy and retains the core elements of football &#8212; passing, running and scoring touchdowns &#8212; while reducing physical risk. “Flag football is a blue ocean in sports &#8212; a promising field with little competition,” Suh said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, at the JoongAng Building in western Seoul on Wednesday. “That means there’s a real chance to reach the top with enough effort. I truly believe we could win an Olympic gold medal in flag football. <div class="ab_photo photo_center "> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/04/29/0000069279_002_20250429115011050.jpg" alt="" />Suh Ga-eun runs during a flag football game in a photo shared on her Instagram account on Dec. 11, 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE] </div> </div> Suh, 28, spent much of her youth in Southeast Asia, following her father's overseas assignments with a Korean construction company. After graduating from high school in Malaysia in 2015, she returned to Korea to study comparative literature and culture at Yonsei University. She landed a coveted role at Google in 2021, managing YouTube advertising partnerships across Asia. But she stumbled upon an article about flag football’s Olympic inclusion in May 2024. For Suh, the Olympic announcement was more than just news &#8212; it was a call to action. Intrigued, she discovered the Raptors, a women's flag football club in Korea. “When I searched online, I found out there was a women’s flag football club in Korea called the Raptors,” she said. “I signed up right away, started training and joined the team.” Despite being new to the sport, Suh's athletic background in volleyball, badminton, basketball, shot put and discus proved advantageous. Standing at 160 centimeters (5 feet, 3 inches) with a 40-meter dash time in the 5-second range, she quickly excelled as a running back. Her rapid progress led to a spot on the national team, and by August 2024, she was representing Korea at the IFAF Flag Football World Championship in Finland, where the team finished 20th. When she knew that balancing a demanding tech career with rigorous training became untenable, she made the bold decision to resign from Google to focus entirely on flag football last May. <div class="ab_photo photo_center "> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/04/29/0000069279_003_20250429115011120.jpg" alt="" />Suh Ga-eun poses in front one of Google's offices in a photo shared on her Instagram account on July 30, 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE] </div> </div> “In college, my dream was to join Google and stay there until retirement,” Suh said. “But after I started playing flag football, I couldn’t ignore the passion that started to stir inside me. I made a bold decision to leave and follow a new dream.” Her commitment is evident, as she trains six days a week. “In flag football, once you catch the ball, you can’t pass it or get help from teammates,” she said. “You have to break through five defenders who are often much bigger than you. The nervousness when you start running and the thrill of a successful play &#8212; I've never felt anything like it in any other sport.” The sport has also caused her multiple injuries, but that has yet to stop her career. A collision during practice last winter resulted in an orbital fracture, requiring surgery. Over the past year, she has spent nearly 10 million won ($6,900) on medical expenses, training and competition fees, much of it out-of-pocket. “I don’t regret leaving Google or spending my severance on training,” she said. “If I have one wish, it’s that the national team trials happen soon. Japan is ranked third in the world, and I believe we can make some noise at the Olympics too.” Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

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