By Seol Ha-eun – Hangzhou Commonwealth Games Foundation = South Korean Para table tennis icon Joo Young-dae (50, Gyeongnam Para Sports Federation) teamed up with his 20-year-old junior Jang Young-jin (30, Seoul City Hall) to win the men’s doubles gold medal at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
The pair defeated Thailand’s Tinatet Nattaut-Chuewong Thirayu 3-0 (11-3 11-4 11-8) in the men’s doubles MD4 final at the Games at the Gungsu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province on Sunday.
Joo, a gold medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, won his second title of the tournament after winning the men’s singles on Aug. 25.
“My strategy was to pass the ball without too much effort and let Jang Young-jin finish it off, and it worked,” Joo said after the match, adding, “I think Jang Young-jin played to her strength and speed advantage and did well.”
Joo’s next goal is the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. “I will aim for gold in both singles and doubles,” he said.
On the same day, in the XD22 Mixed Doubles event, Western Hee (37-Gyeongbuk Para Sports) and Kim Ki-tae (25-Busan Para Sports) came from behind to win gold.
The pair defeated Chinese Taipei 3-2 (9-11 4-11 11-6 11-9 11-9) in the final.
South Korea lost the first and second games, but Kim Ki-tae’s quick attack pushed his opponent to take the third game.
In the fourth game, Seo’s steady game management stood out.
The Koreans were down 7-9 in the final five games, but consecutive errors from their opponents and Kim Ki-tae’s attacks completed the upset.
Kim Ki-tae is a veteran who won two titles in Indonesia in 2018 and three at last year’s World Championships.
He was in peak form at the tournament, winning bronze in the singles and gold in the mixed doubles.
“We thought we could turn the tide if we won three games,” said Kim Jung-joong, the team’s coach, adding, “We split the roles between Kim Ki-tae on offense and Seo Seo-hee on defense and did a good job.”
Seo Soo-yeon (37, Gwangju Para Athletic Association) and Lee Im-gyu (35, Gyeongbuk Para Athletic Association) also won gold in the WD5 women’s doubles final on the same day, defeating China’s Maolin Yang and Zhonghui Yang 3-0 (11-8 11-4 11-6).
Seo Soo-yeon, who won gold in the women’s singles on the 25th, will attempt to win a second gold medal and a third in the mixed doubles on the 28th, the final day of the tournament. 토토사이트