Korean table tennis won ‘three medals’ at the world championships in 20 years, and throws a challenge at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a good mood and confidence.
At the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships, the Korean table tennis team won the women’s doubles Shin Yu-bin (Korean Air) and Jeon Ji-hee (Mirae Asset Securities) Jo Ga silver medal, and the men’s doubles Jang Woo-jin (Mirae Asset Securities)-Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) Jo Ga silver medal, Cho Dae-seong- Team Lee Sang-soo (Samsung Life Insurance) finished the tournament successfully with bronze medals each. Winning three medals at the World Championships is the first achievement in 20 years since the 2003 Paris Games.
Korean table tennis, which has been struggling for a while, such as winning two consecutive ‘no medals’ in the recent Olympics, has recently been on a clear upward trend. It’s not just the world championship achievements.
At the Asian Table Tennis Championships, the first gold medal in men’s singles came out, and it was the first gold medal in men’s team event in 25 years and women’s doubles in 21 years. In the World Team Championship Finals, the men’s team steadily climbed to the top, winning bronze medals around their necks.
The atmosphere is that the re-leap plan prepared by Korean table tennis with a long breath is gradually leading to results.
The Korea Table Tennis Association recently removed the ladder between middle and high school and general divisions, giving players the opportunity to compete with higher levels regardless of age or affiliation. Because of this, all age groups are generating synergy through upward development through ‘infinite competition’.
In addition, when selecting a representative, the recommendation system is completely abolished and selected only in order of ranking, instilling motivation and tension in all players.
Here, Korea Professional Table Tennis (KTTL), which is in its second year of existence, has established itself, and new stars such as Yang Ha-eun (POSCO Energy) and Oh Min-seo (Sancheong-gun Office) have appeared, and a favorable wind is blowing throughout the table tennis world.
In particular, in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, both men’s and women’s doubles, where Korea won medals at this event, are revived as official events, raising the possibility of medals more than ever.
Amidst the good atmosphere, the medals at the World Championships led to fruition, and the players were also encouraged.
Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange), who entered the arrivals hall with a bright expression, said, “If I won a medal in a trance before, I feel like I won it with my skills this time. Next time, he definitely wants to challenge for the gold medal.”
Jang Woo-jin (Mirae Asset Securities) also said, “It seems that the level of table tennis in Korea has steadily increased. Men’s and women’s table tennis are creating synergy,” he said, adding meaning by saying, “I saw hope that more positive results could lead in the future.”
Shin “Pepper” Yu-bin, who dropped out of the race two years ago due to a wrist injury, is now perfectly recovering and standing at the center of the leap forward in table tennis in Korea.
Shin Yu-bin said, “I am not afraid of the world championships anymore. I am learning a lot by playing with Chinese players. I will practice more and get good results in the Asian Games,” she said.
Seung-min Yoo, president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, also praised the players for their contributions, but said, “The World Championship is now a thing of the past. It is more important that this flow continues to the next competition,” he said, expecting a bigger leap forward.
He said, “I hope that good results will continue at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan.”
2023-06-01 06:19:00
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