The team of Choi Sol-gyu (Yonex) and Kim Won-ho (Samsung Life Insurance), who attempted to win the gold medal in badminton men’s doubles for the first time in 21 years, was blocked by India’s wall and took a disappointing silver medal.
Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho, ranked 15th in the world, lost 0-2 (18-2) to Satwikseraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (India), ranked 3rd in the world, in the badminton men’s doubles final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China on the 7th. 21 lost 16-21).
They lost 2 games against the Rankireddy-Shetty group. The world ranking was also 12 places lower, so a tough match was expected.
Initially, Korea placed its hopes for a medal on Seo Seung-jae (Samsung Life Insurance) and Kang Min-hyuk (Samsung Life Insurance), who are ranked 4th in the world in men’s doubles and the winning pair of this year’s World Championships. However, the two players were caught in the quarterfinals, causing a small setback in their goal of sweeping all events.
‘Plan B’ Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho filled the gap with great difficulty. This is the men’s doubles group that is the hottest in this tournament. They caused a stir by defeating the world’s second-ranked Chinese team, which had the advantage of being the host country, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champions, continuing their chances of regaining the top spot in Asia for the first time in 21 years.
The highlight was the round of 16 on the 4th. They attracted attention with a dramatic comeback victory over the world’s second-ranked team, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang (China). In particular, the ‘last-minute reversal’ in the third set, in which each set was exchanged, surprised the world of badminton.
Although they were defeated 13-19, they did not give up and dramatically reduced the gap to a deuce. They completed the comeback by scoring consecutive points on the second deuce, pouring cold water on the enthusiastic cheering of the Chinese home crowd. 카지노사이트
The quarterfinals and semifinals went smoothly. They defeated Hong Kong’s Lo Cheok-Him and Yong Sing-Choi and Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Wang Ji-Lin by a score of 2-0 to advance to the finals.
Lee Yang and Wang Ji-lin were gold medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, so a fierce battle was expected, but the strategy of taking advantage of the opponent’s smashing style was effective.
In the history of Korean badminton, the Asian Games men’s doubles gold medals were won by Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo in 1986 and Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-seong in 2002. It has been nine years since Yoo Yeon-yeon and Lee Yong-dae advanced to the Asian Games finals, finishing runner-up at the 2014 Incheon Games.
Battle of One Advance, One Step Back. The two teams continued their tight battle with a 2-3 point gap from the first game. Korea was not intimidated by India, which played ‘power badminton’ based on its excellent physical condition. Just like in the match against Taiwan, they took advantage of the opponent’s advantage.
Kim Won-ho consistently put the shuttlecock in front of his body towards Rankireddy, who was tall and had long arms. Choi Sol-gyu also did not lift the ball high. He persistently passed the ball to the left and right corners to avoid giving as many smashing opportunities as possible.
Korea, which took the lead by 11 points, played the game smartly. They won the game with a 17-14 lead. But a last-minute crisis came. The score gap narrowed, and before we knew it, the score was tied at 18-18. In the end, the score was 18-19, and Choi Sol-gyu, who was protesting the referee’s decision, received a yellow card. Korea failed to regain the momentum they had lost once, and then allowed consecutive goals, losing the first game 18-21.
The beginning of the second game was also tight. Choi Sol-gyu shook the opponent’s reception with a smash with all his might, and Kim Won-ho gradually accumulated points with an attack that controlled the strength and weakness of the front line.
However, Rankireddy and Shetty, who have been working together for the past six years, are seasoned. India, with veteran Shetty at the center, made moves as promised and showed no loopholes to Korea. Even though the rally battle was fierce, it was India who consistently took the points.
Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho gave up 11 points to their opponents first. 7-11. Still, I didn’t give up. They showed their potential in the final when they defeated the world’s second-ranked team in the round of 16. They scored three points in a row to get close to 10-11.
However, they were unable to take the lead in the end. The game continued on thin ice with a 1-2 point margin, but there was no overturning. At 12-13, they conceded 4 goals in a row, widening the score gap to 5 points. In fact, at this time, the victory was tilted towards India. Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho lost the second game 16-21 and won a valuable silver medal. The comeback loss at the end of the first game was a little painful.