Badminton Seo Seungjae-Kang Minhyuk, Narrow Defeat to Denmark... Fail to Advance to Semifinals [Paris Olympics]

Lost 0-2 in Denmark... Men's Doubles Miss Medals for 3 Consecutive Times

Badminton men's doubles Seo Seung-jae (26, Samsung Life) and Kang Min-hyuk (25, Samsung Life) were defeated in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

South Korea's badminton national team players Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyeok are engaged in a fierce match against Denmark's Anders Skarup Rasmussen and Kim Astrup Jo in the men's doubles quarterfinals at La Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, on the afternoon of the 1st (Korean time).
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 1st, at the Porte de la Chapelle arena in Paris, France, in the men's doubles quarterfinals, Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk lost 0-2 (19-21, 20-22) to the world No. 2 Danish pair Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.

Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk, ranked 4th in the world, were considered strong medal contenders in this tournament but unfortunately failed to achieve their goal.

The match was a fierce battle in both sets. Their head-to-head record was also tied at 1 win each, promising a close contest. From the first set, the score was tied at 19-19 with points exchanged one by one.

At this moment, Kang Min-hyuk’s attack landed skillfully behind the end line, giving the opponents their 20th point, and after losing a point in the drive rally, they narrowly lost the first set 19-21.

The second set was even more intense. Both sides repeatedly reversed the lead, and near the end of the match, Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk took the lead at 20-18, seeming to seize the momentum, but a series of unforced errors led to conceding 4 consecutive points, resulting in a comeback loss at 20-22.

South Korea's badminton national team players Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyeok are engaged in a fierce match against Denmark's Anders Skarup Rasmussen and Kim Astrup in the men's doubles quarterfinals at the La Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, on the afternoon of the 1st (Korean time).
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In badminton, the women’s doubles pairs Kim So-young (32, Incheon International Airport) - Gong Hee-yong (27, Jeonbuk Bank) and Lee So-hee (Incheon International Airport) - Baek Ha-na (MG Saemaeul Geumgo), who were also expected to medal, suffered defeats in the quarterfinals, adding to the disappointment. This is the first time since the 2012 London Games that Korean badminton has not stood on the Olympic women’s doubles podium.

Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk ended their Olympic men’s doubles campaign with this loss, but Seo Seung-jae still has the mixed doubles event remaining, where he will partner with Chae Yoo-jung (Incheon International Airport).

The mixed doubles semifinal match between Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung will take place on the 2nd at 1:30 AM. Their opponents will be fellow Korean players Kim Won-ho (Samsung Life) and Jung Na-eun (Hwasun County Office).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.