‘Hangzhou members’ who avenged their Asian Games no-medal defeat are on the move… Ahn Se-young takes the lead
Three consecutive ‘no gold’ games since the 2008 Beijing Games… The most in one competition is two. Korean badminton, which succeeded in a generational change last year, is determined to reach its peak at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The national badminton team won two gold medals (women’s singles and women’s team), two silver medals (men’s doubles and women’s doubles), and three bronze medals (women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and men’s team) at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in October last year.
It was a refreshing moment of revenge for the humiliation of not winning a medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, when many of the older generation had retired.
In particular, the women’s badminton team defeated China for the first time in 29 years and won the team event for the second time ever, and An Se-young also won the gold medal in the women’s singles individual event, the first since Bang Soo-hyun in 29 years.
Nine months later, Korean badminton is trying to keep the flame alive and burn brightly on the Olympic stage.
Because the nature of the event means that Asian countries are strong, the difficulty level is not particularly high just because it is the Olympics.
It is an opportunity to solidify our status as a badminton powerhouse.
Korea, like in the Asian Games, struggled for a while in the Olympics.
At the 1992 Barcelona Games, which were adopted as an official Olympic event, Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo won the men’s doubles and Hwang Hye-young and Jeong So-young won the women’s doubles, and at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Kim Dong-moon and Gil Young-ah won the mixed doubles and Bang Soo-hyun won the women’s singles.
There were no gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Games, but at the 2004 Athens Games, Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon won gold in men’s doubles, and at the 2008 Beijing Games, Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung won gold in mixed doubles.
However, from the 2012 London Games to the 2020 Tokyo Games, they have had three consecutive ‘no gold’ games, only receiving one bronze medal each.
Unlike the Asian Games, there are no team events in the Olympics, so a total of five gold medals are at stake: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
The national team’s goal for their trip to Paris is to win three gold medals, the most ever.
The ‘Hangzhou members’ who tasted a medal 9 months ago are back in action.
In the men’s singles and doubles events, only one place was reduced as two places were not secured.
An Se-young (22, Samsung Life), who won two gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games and is currently ranked No. 1 in the world, is aiming for her first gold medal in women’s singles in 28 years.
In women’s doubles, world No. 2 Baek Ha-na (23, MG Saemaul Geumgo) – Lee So-hee (30, Incheon International Airport) and No. 7 Kim So-young (31, Incheon International Airport) – Kong Hee-yong (27, Jeonbuk Bank) dream of a match in the Taegeuk Warriors final.
The two teams won silver and bronze medals respectively at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Kim So-young and Gong Hee-yong also won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, beating their teammates Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan.
Seo Seung-jae (26, Samsung Life Insurance), who won two World Championship titles last year, will challenge for two titles by teaming up with Kang Min-hyeok (25, Samsung Life Insurance) in men’s doubles and Chae Yu-jeong (29, Incheon International Airport) in mixed doubles.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he won a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event.
Mixed doubles Kim Won-ho (25, Samsung Life Insurance) – Jeong Na-eun (24, Hwasun County Office), men’s singles Jeon Hyeok-jin (29, Yonex), and women’s singles Kim Ga-eun (26, Samsung Life Insurance) are also aiming for a smash to reverse the results.
Coach Kim Hak-gyun, who took over the national team in November of the year before last, is determined to clearly declare a golden age for Korean badminton through the Paris Olympics.
At a media day event last month, Coach Kim said, “There is more trust between the players and coaches than at the Asian Games, and their sense of purpose is stronger,” adding, “All of the players are candidates for the gold medal.
He expressed confidence, saying, “It wouldn’t be surprising if any player won the gold medal.”
“There have never been more than two gold medals in the history of the Olympics.
He emphasized, “We are challenging ourselves to that extent,” and “I don’t know which player will be (the main character), but the honor will go to our players.”
However, as the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open, which were preliminary matches for the Olympics, left some regrets, it seems that the key will be to thoroughly complete the final preparations.
Last year, at the World Championships held a month before the Asian Games, they won three gold medals (women’s singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles), but in these two competitions, they won two gold medals (women’s singles and women’s doubles).
/yunhap news
2024-07-04 22:03:28
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