The national badminton team is taking commemorative photos at the Media Day event held at the Jincheon National Athlete Village Champion House on the 16th. yunhap news
Korean badminton is eagerly awaiting the Hangzhou Asian Games, which will open in September.
This is because Korea has to wash away the humiliation of no medals it suffered in the Jakarta and Palembang Games five years ago.
Coincidentally, badminton in Korea is flying high after coming out of this year’s slump. Up to the Australian Open earlier this month, he is on a winning streak with 23 gold medals, 17 silver medals, and 23 bronze medals in 21 international competitions. The world ranking, which once fell to 7th place, rose to 2nd place and regained its former dignity. That confidence was well displayed at the media day of the national badminton team held on the 16th at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province.
Kim Hak-kyun, the coach of the Korean national badminton team (52), said in a meeting with reporters, “I never specifically mentioned the number of medals, but I want to win medals in all events.”
It means that they will aim for at least a bronze medal in all seven events, including men’s and women’s team events (2), men’s and women’s singles (2), men’s and women’s doubles (2), and mixed doubles (1). Coach Kim said, “If I get good results in the group event that starts first, I think (good results) will follow in the individual event.”
The most anticipated player in Hangzhou is Ahn Se-young (21, Samsung Life Insurance), the star of the game. Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in women’s singles, hopes to reconnect the singles gold vein that was severed after Soo-hyeon Bang (1994 Hiroshima Games).
Ahn Se-young has risen to the top seven times in international competitions alone this year, and a four-way match is expected with Yamaguchi Akane (Japan), Tai Zi-ying (Taiwan), and Chen Yu-fei (China). In particular, her concern is whether her An Se-young will succeed in her golden revenge against Chen Yu-fei, who is said to be her own nemesis. She has the pain of losing in the round of 32 in the Jakarta Palembang tournament. However, she is not afraid of the momentum this year. Against Chen Yufei, he only won 1 win (8 losses) until 2022, but this year he won 4 wins (2 losses).
Ahn Se-young said, “If I was a bit lacking as a badminton player in the Jakarta and Palembang competitions, now I have become a player everyone expects. I will show it like a world ranking number one. Chen Yufei’s hometown is Hangzhou, but regardless of the place, if I play badminton I want to play, good results will come out.” Coach Kim also commented favorably, saying, “In the past, when we faced the Big 4, we played a drag game, but now they play a drag game backwards.”
The possibility of a gold medal in women’s doubles is also open. While Kim So-young (Incheon International Airport) and Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank) reached the top at the Jeonyeong Open, even Baek Hana (MG Saemaul Geumgo) and Lee So-hee (Incheon International Airport) were on a similar level in less than a year since they worked together. followed Kim So-young and Gong Hee-yong are ranked third in the doubles rankings, and Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee are second. Coach Lee Kyung-won, who is in charge of women’s doubles, even said, “The goal of the Asian Games is for our players to compete for the gold medal.”
The men’s doubles of Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyeok (above Samsung Life Insurance), who reached the top at the Australian Open, also raised their golden hopes. The two players raised their world rankings from 9th to 6th this month. Men’s doubles coach Han Dong-seong said, “It seems like I can’t live up to the expectations of the female players, but I’m enduring well with results as good as when I had Lee Yong-dae.”
On the other hand, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jang Mi-ran visited the Jincheon National Training Center on the same day and encouraged the national team juniors who are working hard to prepare for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, including the badminton team. Vice Minister Jang said, “I will take care of the necessary matters more carefully from the eyes of the players, as I have personally experienced life in the athletes’ village as a national representative.”
Jincheon | Reporter Hwang Min-guk [email protected]
2023-08-16 08:12:13
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