Last year’s World Championships Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles winners Selected as ‘Male Athlete of the Year’ by the World Federation, competed in Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles at the Paris Olympics, and when he won, he was ‘the first Korean to win two gold medals’ in a single competition. Fantastic teamwork with partners Kang Min-hyeok and Chae Yu-jeong
Korean badminton representative Seo Seung-jae (center) stood in front of the camera with his mixed doubles partner Chae Yu-jeong (left) and men’s doubles partner Kang Min-hyeok at the Jincheon Athletes’ Village in Chungbuk Province. Seo Seung-jae will challenge for the first double crown in Korean badminton history at a single Olympic competition at the Paris Olympics, which opens on the 26th (local time).
‘Doubles genius’ Seo Seung-jae (26) was selected as the ‘Male Player of the Year’ by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) last year. At the World Championships last year, Seo Seung-jae became the first male player since Kim Dong-moon (49) to win both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles in 24 years. Kim Dong-moon won the mixed doubles gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games and the men’s doubles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games, making him the only Korean badminton player to win two Olympic gold medals.
Seo Seung-jae is determined to achieve the same result at the Paris Olympics, which opens on the 26th (local time). If Seo Seung-jae wins both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles at this tournament, he will be able to make badminton history as the first player in the world to win gold medals in both events at a single Olympic tournament. Just like last year’s World Championships, Seo Seung-jae will be teaming up with Kang Min-hyeok (25) in men’s doubles and Chae Yu-jeong (29) in mixed doubles at this Olympics. 안전놀이터
Seo Seung-jae, whom we recently met at the Jincheon Athletes’ Village in Chungcheongbuk-do, said, “It’s been too long since Korea won an Olympic gold medal or even a medal in both events. I will prepare for gold medals in both men’s doubles and mixed doubles so that I can continue the great achievements of my seniors.” The last time Korea won a gold medal in men’s doubles for badminton was in the 2004 Athens Games when Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon (49) teamed up. There hasn’t been a gold medal in mixed doubles since the 2008 Beijing Games when Lee Yong-dae (36) and Lee Hyo-jeong (43) teamed up.
Seo Seung-jae continued, “Men’s doubles and mixed doubles have different styles. I have to match both players, but since I only have one body, I can’t help but have limited training time. My partners work hard to make up for my shortcomings, so I always feel sorry,” and “The Olympics have a more relaxed schedule than the World Championships, so it’s fortunate that it’s less physically demanding.” Seo Seung-jae played the finals of both events on the same day at the World Championships last year. The mixed doubles finals for this Olympics are on the 2nd of next month, and the men’s doubles finals are two days later.
The two partners are preparing for the Paris Olympics with the mindset of “Seo Seung-jae is my strength.” Kang Min-hyeok said, “I know Seung-jae is working hard in both events, so I’m always grateful,” and “Seung-jae is the only male player on the national team who has experience competing in the Olympics. It’s my first Olympics, so I’m probably inexperienced, but if hyung takes care of those aspects, I think we’ll get good results.”
Chae Yu-jeong, who advanced to the quarterfinals with Seo Seung-jae at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, said, “I have improved my individual skills a lot thanks to working with the best players,” and added, “I think Olympic medals are a gift from heaven. I believe that if I do my best every day without regrets, I will get good results.”
The Seo Seung-jae-Kang Min-hyeok pair is ranked 2nd in the BWF men’s doubles, and the Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yu-jeong pair is ranked 4th in the mixed doubles. In the Olympics, they are seeded up to 4th place. If they are seeded, they will not have to face higher-ranked teams early in the tournament, so they can play relatively easily until the semifinals. Korean badminton has never won more than two gold medals in a single Olympic tournament. In this tournament, ‘shuttlecock genius’ Ahn Se-young (22) is aiming for gold medals in the women’s singles, where she is ranked 1st, and the Lee So-hee (30)-Baek Ha-na (24) pair, who are ranked 2nd in the world, are also aiming for gold medals in the women’s doubles. The Korean badminton team, which has been training in a ‘special Olympic set’ identical to the Paris stadium at the Jincheon Athletes’ Village, left for France with the first group of national players on the 12th. The badminton team will enter Paris, the final battleground, after completing the final conditioning at a pre-training camp prepared by the Korea Sports Council near Paris. 카지노사이트