He is vowing to restore his honor at the Hangzhou Asian Games
The badminton national team, led by general manager Kim Hak-kyun, held a media day at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province on the 16th and threw a solid statement ahead of the upcoming international competitions. The national team will participate in the World Championships (individual) in Copenhagen, Denmark, from the 21st, and will play the Asian Games, which will open on the 23rd after the World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 China Open from September 5th.
The morale of the squad is high. Head coach Kim said, “The players have been trusting and following well so far toward the Asian Games, which is the biggest goal, and the Paris Olympics next year,” and stressed, “I think we can perform well to meet expectations.”
South Korean badminton recently moved up to second place in the BWF team rankings after China. It is the first time in five years and three months since April 2018 that it has regained the second place. At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, South Korea once fell to seventh place amid a slump, suffering the humiliation of no medals for the first time in 40 years.
However, South Korea has been on the rise recently since new coaching staff such as head coach Kim were set up. In seven BWF World Tour events of 1000 and 750 size, he achieved valuable results, including seven gold medals, seven silver medals, and eight bronze medals.
However, the focus on Korean badminton is mainly on female players. They are women’s doubles players competing for the world’s strongest title with Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life), who won the most prestigious All-Young Open in 27 years since Bang Soo-hyun in the women’s singles in 1996. Ahn Se-young is considered a strong candidate for the Asian Games, winning seven gold medals in international competitions this year.
In the women’s doubles, Kim So-young (Incheon International Airport) and Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank), who recently won the Japan Open and Australia O, and Lee So-hee (Incheon International Airport) and Baek Ha-na (MG Saemaeul Geumgo), who won the Indonesian Open, will run third and second in the world rankings. Coach Lee Kyung-won, who is in charge of women’s doubles, expressed confidence, saying, “Our goal is to compete in the finals between our players at the Asian Games and the Olympics.”
There is relatively less attention to mixed doubles with male players. On this day’s Media Day, most reporters also asked questions to head coach Kim, Ahn Se-young, and women’s doubles players.
However, athletes from other sports are also waiting for the upcoming competition, saying they will work. They are men’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles players.
Seo Seung-jae (Samsung Life Insurance) said, “It is true and recognized that male players’ performance is bad (compared to the women’s team).” “That’s why I’m trying to focus more and supplement it,” he said. “Since Lee Yong-dae (Yonex), I haven’t ranked first in the (Men’s Doubles) world rankings, and I’m starting from the bottom and filling it up.” Seo Seung-jae vowed, “I will prepare better so that I can raise the status of men’s doubles.”
Female players are so fierce, but in fact, men’s doubles are also doing well. Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk (Samsung Life) won the Australian Open, raising their world rankings to fifth place. Coach Han Dong-sung, who is in charge of men’s doubles, said, “I heard it is the first time in eight years that men’s doubles have ranked in the world since Lee Yong-dae,” adding, “Men’s players have also worked really hard to raise the world ranking by more than 10 places, so you can look forward to it.”
The same is true of mixed doubles. In fact, when asked about his Asian Games goal on Media Day, head coach Kim spared his words, saying, “It puts pressure on the players,” but hinted, “Women’s singles, doubles, and men’s doubles are medal boxes.” Head coach Kim said he wanted to win medals in all sports, but he forgot to do mixed doubles.
However, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung (Incheon International Airport), Kim Won-ho (Samsung Life Insurance) and Jung Na-eun (Hwasun County Office) are also the world’s fifth and sixth strongest players. Chae Yoo-jung said, “If I prepare well, I think I will get good results in the Asian Games, Olympics, and world championships,” and Jung Na-eun also expressed a slight anger, saying, “I envy other sports because they do so well, but I’m upset that my performance is not that good.”
Come to think of it, Korean badminton’s last Olympic gold medal was also mixed doubles. Lee Yong-dae also shot to stardom by sending a murder wink to the broadcast screen after collaborating with Lee Hyo-jung for a gold medal during the 2008 Beijing Games.
After Media Day, coach Kim Sang-soo, who is in charge of mixed clothes, carefully expressed his goal to reporters, saying, “We are aiming for a bronze medal in the Asian Games for now.” However, when other leaders criticized him (?) he raised him, saying, “I will try to perform better.” Kim Won-ho, who is recovering from injuries, also said, “We are strengthening our muscle strength through weight training,” adding, “We are trying to raise the tempo while preparing as much as we can.”
Jeon Hyuk-jin (Yonex) and Lee Yoon-kyu (Gimcheon City Hall), who are also seeking to revive in the men’s singles, will also challenge for the Asian Games medal. Jung Hoon-min, coach of the men’s singles, said, “The possibility of a medal is not high, but I am trying my best.”
Korean badminton is aiming to regain its honor at the Asian Games with female players at the forefront. However, all the players are sweating so much that it is not a surprise medal even if they report a victory in other events.