Shin Yubin and Jeon Jeon-hee win Korea’s first medal in women’s table tennis in 12 years

The pair of Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yoo-bin have claimed South Korea’s first medal at the World Table Tennis Championships 2023. The duo avenged an injury that forced Shin to withdraw from the last edition of the tournament without playing a single match. After a lengthy surgery and rehabilitation, the Korean women’s table tennis standout won her first World Championship medal.

Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yubin defeated Bernadette Sotz (ROM) and Sophia Polkanova (AUS) 3-0 (11-9 15-13 11-4) in the women’s doubles quarterfinals of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships 2023 at the Durban International Convention Center (DICC) in Durban, South Africa, on Friday (local time). They secured at least a bronze medal, as the World Championships award a bronze medal even if you lose in the semifinals.

“It’s good to reach the quarterfinals, but there were a lot of tricky points in this match, and it’s good that my sister and I were able to overcome them and win,” said Shin. “It’s good to secure the bronze medal first. Our goal is to win one more match, so we will prepare well for the remaining matches to make them even better.” “I think we have the strength to get over the hump,” said Jeon Jeon-hee, “Yoo Bin-i gives me space and keeps telling me, ‘You can do this,’ so I feel confident.”

The World Championships are held in odd-numbered years for the team event and in even-numbered years for the individual event, and this is the first individual medal for both players at the World Championships토토사이트. Shin qualified for her first World Championships in 2019 in Houston, USA, but withdrew from the women’s singles and mixed doubles after fracturing her wrist in the round of 64. Jeon Jeon-hee won a bronze medal at the 2018 team event in Halmstad, Sweden, but did not compete individually.

This is the first time a South Korean women’s table tennis player has won an individual medal at the World Championships since Yang Ha-eun in 2015. Yang won gold in the mixed doubles with China’s Xu Xin.

It has been 12 years since a South Korean women’s team won a medal since the women’s doubles team of Kim Kyung-ah and Park Mi-young won bronze in 2011. The men’s team won silver in the men’s doubles with Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon at the last Games and bronze in the men’s singles with Ahn Jae-hyun in 2019, but women’s table tennis has suffered a medal drought. Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yoo-bin broke the 12-year drought with their victory.

Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yubin celebrate after securing a spot in the women’s doubles quarterfinals at the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships at the Durban International Convention Center (DICC) in Durban, South Africa, on Friday (local time). Korea Table Tennis Association

“I think it was a good idea to wait until Yoo Binhui was older. She has grown up well,” she said, smiling and thanking her partner. “I’m glad that she’s eating well and growing up,” Shin Yubin said with a smile, adding, “It’s not easy for her because she has injuries and it’s not easy for her in many ways, but having her there made it easier for me.”

After a back-and-forth first game, she took an 8-4 lead and held on for a 10-6 advantage. However, the next three points put them on the ropes and they took a timeout to catch their breath. After a rally, the opponent’s offense was out and they won the game.

The second game came down to the wire. After falling behind 2-7 early on, Jeon Ji-hee and Shin Yubin looked to have the game in hand as the gap widened to 5-9 midway through the game. They closed the gap with back-to-back attack outs, but their attack hit the net to make it 8-10.

With only one more point to lose the game, the opponent’s attack also hit the net, and Jeon Jeon-hee’s attack was not properly defended by the opponent’s defense, and the ball floated high.

The two teams fought tooth and nail and faced four deuces until 13-13, when Polkanova’s attack went out twice to complete the upset.

With the win in hand, Jeon Ji-hee and Shin Yubin didn’t let up. In a 3-4 situation, they scored eight consecutive points to win the game. After the game, the two players hugged each other in celebration and raised their arms to the crowd. After exchanging greetings with the opposing coach and players, they ran to the bench and shared a joyful hug with Women’s National Team head coach Oh Kwang-heon.

Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yubin celebrate with Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korea Table Tennis Federation (KTF), after securing the bronze medal in the women’s doubles at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships 2023 at the Durban International Convention Center (DICC) in Durban, South Africa, on Friday (local time). Korea Table Tennis Association

Next up for Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yubin are China’s Sun Yingxia and Wang Manyu. As the world’s strongest pair, it will be a tough match, but the two are ready for it. “They are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, and they are very good players, so my sister and I will be communicating a lot and preparing hard so that we can create something good,” said Shin Yubin. “They are two-time gold medalists in 2019 and 2021,” said Jeon Jeon-hee, adding, “They have a lot of experience and good skills, but we have come this far too, so I hope we can play well without any regrets.”