(2nd LD) (Olympics) S Korea-badminton
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| ▲ Shin Seung-chan (L) and Lee So-hee play Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia in the semifinals of the women's doubles badminton event at the Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Lee So-hee (back) and Shin Seung-chan of South Korea embrace each other after losing to Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia in the semifinals of the women's doubles badminton event at the Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Lee So-hee (L) and Shin Seung-chan play Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia in the semifinals of the women's doubles badminton event at the Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Kim So-yeong (L) and Kong Hee-yong of South Korea play Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China in the semifinals of the women's doubles badminton event at the Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Kim So-yeong (L) and Kong Hee-yong of South Korea react to a play against Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China in the semifinals of the women's doubles badminton event at the Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) (Olympics) S Korea-badminton
(2nd LD) (Olympics) S. Korea secures bronze in badminton doubles with 2 pairs meeting in 3rd-place match
(ATTN: ADDS comments in paras 18-19)
TOKYO, July 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has secured a bronze medal in the women's doubles badminton event of the Tokyo Olympics, with two pairs from the country falling to the third-place match Saturday.
Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan will take on countrywomen Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong for the bronze medal Monday at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo, after both tandems lost their semifinals matches.
Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia defeated Lee and Shin 2-0 (21-19, 21-17). Hours later, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China beat Kim and Kong, also by the score of 2-0 (21-15, 21-11).
Lee and Shin are world No. 4 in the women's doubles, two spots ahead of Polii and Rahayu, but the Indonesian team improved to 6-2 against the South Koreans.
Lee and Shin led 5-2 early in the first game, but the Indonesians pulled even at 11-11.
The seesaw match ensued. Lee-Shin briefly led 19-18, but then Polii and Rahayu got three unanswered points to take the first game.
The second game was just as tight, and once again, the South Koreans faltered down the stretch. From a 16-16 tie, Polii and Rahayu scored four consecutive points to set up a match point and won the deciding game 21-17.
Lee, who was overcome with emotion after the loss, said she made things hard on herself midway through the match when she started rushing her shots.
"Things went our way early on, and it could have been an easy match for us," Lee said. "We still have our bronze medal match left, but the memories of all the hurdles we've overcome together came flooding back to me today. That's why I cried."
Shin and Lee have been close friends since middle school and represented the country as junior players too. Shin said she doesn't want to go home empty-handed.
"We have to put this loss behind us. We have to hold ourselves together because we still have one more match to play," Shin said. "We want to have a good finish to the Olympics."
They both played at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but did so with different partners. Shin won bronze with Jung Kyung-eun.
"This means more to me because I am here with So-hee," Shin said. "Although this loss stings, I think we'll still have fond memories of this experience when we look back on it later."
Kim and Kong, world No. 5, lost to the third-ranked Chinese pair for the second time in Tokyo, the first loss having come in the preliminary round on Tuesday.
When the score was tied at 6-6 in the first game, the Chinese duo pulled ahead to 11-6 to take control.
The South Koreans never found their rhythm. After trailing early in the second game, they cut the deficit to 11-9, only to give up four straight points.
Leading 17-11, Chen and Jia picked up four points in a row to close out Kim and Kong.
"We wanted to meet So-hee and Seung-chan in the final. It would have been fun, knowing we would all get a medal," Kim said. "It's a shame we're meeting in the bronze medal match."
As for the crushing loss, Kim said: "I don't even feel like we played a match. We barely did anything."
The bronze medal, regardless of which team wins it, will be South Korea's only medal from badminton in Tokyo.
South Korea hasn't won gold in the women's doubles since Chung So-young and Hwang Hye-young won the inaugural title in 1992.
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