Shim Kwon-ho, Recovered from Liver Cancer Battle, Embarks on First Blind Date

Former national wrestling star Shim Kwon-ho is beginning the second act of his life by going on his first blind date in 54 years. The man behind an undefeated myth, including winning two Olympic weight classes, was diagnosed with early-stage liver cancer but overcame the illness and has recovered his health. This first blind date will be revealed through TV Chosun's entertainment program 'Joseon's Lover.'

The 54-year-old 'lifelong virgin' displayed a nervousness unfamiliar to any opponent he had faced throughout his life. The blind date scene, revealed on TV Chosun's entertainment show 'Joseon's Lover' broadcast on April 20, was clumsy but sincere. His declaration, 'I will entrust my entire fortune to my future wife,' was a proposal to the person in front of him, signaling not a display of wealth but a desire for the warmth of the one person to whom he could entrust all his achievements with faith.

Shim Kwon-ho's present gives a human resonance rather than a record of a successful figure. His energy in confronting life's challenges of illness and solitude proves that it is human warmth, not the weight of medals, that matters. He did not hide his weaknesses or his illness, and even his clumsy attempts at late-blooming romance were exposed with candid honesty. He shows only the desire for someone to share his life with and the 'diligence to live.'

In the past, when the world federation changed rules and eliminated weight classes to counter his techniques, he adapted to the new classes without complaint. That competitive spirit was also demonstrated in the face of liver cancer and the reality of solitude. Returning from the brink of death, his gesture of choosing flowers for his date becomes a trace of life. The start of his first love, encountered after 54 years, is the first step he has taken back into the arena of life. The protagonist who sculpted himself to win medals has finished preparing to walk with someone.