'Korea vs Korea' Badminton Semifinal Winners Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun Secure Silver [Paris Olympics]

by Kim Heeyun

Published 02 Aug.2024 04:27(KST)

Seoseungjae Wins Against Taeguk Warriors' Chaeyoojung in Head-to-Head Match

'Clash of Fate'

On the 1st (local time), at La Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, Kim Won-ho and Jung Na-eun celebrated advancing to the finals by defeating Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung in the mixed doubles badminton semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In the 2024 Paris Olympic badminton mixed doubles semifinals between Taeguk Warriors, the pair of Kim Won-ho (25, Samsung Life) and Jeong Na-eun (24, Hwasun County Office) advanced to the finals.

World-ranked 8th Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun defeated the world 2nd ranked pair Seo Seung-jae (26, Samsung Life) and Chae Yoo-jung (29, Incheon International Airport) 2-1 (21-16, 20-22, 23-21) in the mixed doubles quarterfinals held on the 2nd (Korean time) at the Porte de la Chapelle arena in Paris, France.

Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun dramatically advanced through the preliminaries with a 1-2 record and made an unstoppable run to the finals in their first-ever Olympics. Until the semifinal match, they had a 0-5 losing record against Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung, but they secured their first Olympic victory.

Since they are from the same national team and know each other well, the match was fiercely contested. The first game started favorably for Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun with a 21-16 win. This was a counterattack against their overall 0-5 losing record. In the second game, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung took the lead to even the score at 1-1.

The third game was a tense back-and-forth battle from the start. Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung took the early lead. At 6-4, Seo Seung-jae scored with a smash, and a backhand diagonal attack landed at the far end of the opponent’s court, extending the lead to 8-4.

On the 1st (local time), at the La Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, Korean pair Kim Won-ho and Jung Na-eun (above), who won the mixed doubles badminton semifinal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, are greeting Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun quickly scored 5 consecutive points from 5-10 to tie the game at 10-10. They took control of the mid-to-late game momentum. Despite Kim Won-ho complaining of hip pain and creating a match point at 20-18, they allowed the score to be tied again at 20-20.

In the final rally, just as they seemed to be overwhelmed by Seo Seung-jae’s momentum after he scored a point, Kim Won-ho summoned his last strength and succeeded in scoring 3 points, concluding the match with a 23-21 victory for Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun.

This is the first time in 16 years since the 2008 Beijing Olympics that Korean badminton has advanced to the mixed doubles final, following the gold medal win by Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung. The mixed doubles medal is the first medal Korean badminton has secured in this event.

Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun will face the winner of the match between Wang Yachung and Zheng Siwei (China) and Watanabe Yuta and Higashino Arisa (Japan) at 10 p.m. on the 2nd, competing for the gold medal.

Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung, who tasted defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, could not advance past the semifinals in their second Olympic challenge and are preparing for another battle in the bronze medal match.

Since badminton was first adopted as an official Olympic event at the 1992 Barcelona Games, Korea has maintained a streak of gold medals up to the 2008 Games, except for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

However, from the 2012 London Games to the 2020 Tokyo Games, Korea earned no gold medals in three consecutive Olympics, securing only one bronze medal each time.

In this tournament, Korea aimed for a record three gold medals, but the expected women’s doubles pairs were all eliminated in the quarterfinals, and the men’s doubles also failed to pass the quarterfinal stage.