This is “lost but fought well.” Shin Yu-bin (Korean Air) and Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) delivered “taste of table tennis” to the audience. Although they failed to overcome China’s barrier, they presented the charm of K-table tennis.
The group, which is ranked second in the world, lost to the Wang Chuqin-Sun Ying-Sa group (11-67-111 11-9 5-117-111 9-119-11) at the semifinals of mixed doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on Thursday (Korea time). The group, which is Lim Jong-hoon and Shin, also lost in five meetings with Wang Chuqin-Sun Ying-sa group. The group lost in all five matches. The group, which is Lim Jong-hoon and Shin, had no chance to win a gold medal. They will compete with the Wong Chun-ting and Du Hoikem group (ranked fourth) for the bronze medal at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. If they win in the bronze medal match, the Korean table tennis team will add an Olympic medal for the first time in 12 years since the 2012 London Games (silver in men’s team event).
They fought fiercely. The Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin duo pressed China hard from the beginning. They easily won the first set. They lost the second set, but at 9-9 in the third set, Korea led 2-1 as Wang Chu-chin failed to receive a changeable serve twice in a row. However, they tied the game again in the fourth set, pressed by China’s momentum.
The fifth set was regrettable still. Lim Jong-hoon’s powerful drive scored in the 4-3 rally to lead the game 5-3. However, he made mistakes one after another, allowing the team to come from behind to win 5-7. At 6-7, Shin’s return hit the top of the net and fell out of the table. China gained momentum and secured the fifth set. 스포츠토토
In the sixth set of destiny, the duo of Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin scored three consecutive points in the sixth set 1-4, tying the game at 4-4. In the 5-5 rally, even though Shin lost his balance, he managed to turn the tables by inserting a smashing into the corner of the table. However, Shin’s drives went off the table in succession, losing the lead again, 6-7. At 9-9, Wang Chu-chin’s smashing succeeded. China laughed when Lim’s return was out.
The Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin group advanced to the semifinals by beating the Dang Chi-woo and Nina Mitelham group (11th in Germany) in the round of 16, and the Ovidio Ionescu and Bernadette Sütz group (8th in Romania) in the quarterfinals. However, the final hurdle to advance to the finals was too high.
Meanwhile, Shin said after the match, “I showed good performance, but the result was defeat. Even though we fought well, we lost.” Im Jong-hoon also said, “Loser never talks. No matter how strong you are, you get nervous at the Olympics. I played with Shin thinking, “Let’s have fun challenges. That helped me in the beginning, but in the end, the Chinese players did better.”
It’s not over yet. Shin said, “The results of the quarterfinals are regrettable, but the results have already come out. There is an important event left for me to win a medal, so I will prepare well for the event. Hong Kong athletes are experienced athletes who have often stood on big stages. I will prepare well and play with the mindset of challenging myself.” Lim Jong-hoon also said, “What we need to do now is prepare for the final match of the bronze medal.”