Hangzhou, China: In a thrilling display of badminton prowess, South Korea’s women’s badminton team triumphed over the hosts, China, with an impressive 3-0 victory at the Asian Games. This achievement marked their first Asian Games women’s team gold in nearly three decades, sparking jubilant scenes and even tears of joy among the victorious players.
The world’s number one ranked player, An Se-young, set the tone for the South Korean team with a commanding performance, swiftly defeating Chen Yufei with a score of 21-12, 21-13.
Following this, the dynamic duo of Lee So-hee and Baek Hana secured another win for South Korea in the doubles category, prevailing over Jia Yifan and Chen Qingchen with a score of 21-18, 21-14.
The final blow came from Kim Ga-eun, who displayed great determination in a hard-fought match, ultimately winning 23-21, 21-17 against He Bingjiao.
The South Korean players on the sidelines couldn’t contain their excitement and rushed onto the court in jubilation, with some overcome by tears of happiness.
Coach Kim Hak-kyun expressed the significance of this gold medal, describing it as “precious” and setting their sights on achieving further success at the upcoming Paris Olympics. He credited the victory to the players’ unwavering determination, mindset, mentality, and unity.
Despite their loss, China’s coach Xia Xuanze acknowledged the pressure faced by the home team but emphasized the incentive of competing on their home turf. Xia expressed disappointment in missing key opportunities during the matches but highlighted the upcoming events where China could seek redemption.
China will have another chance to claim glory as they face India in the men’s team final later in the Games.
