Lin Zhongxun and Shin Yubin opened the door to the 12-year medal of Korean table tennis Olympics and the bronze medal in mixed doubles in Paris
The top three table tennis mixed doubles teams at the Paris Olympics that everyone is most happy in history: the Chinese team Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha won the turnaround battle and the shame before the Tokyo Olympics, the Northern Dynasty Li Zhengzhi/Kim Qinying won the Southern Dynasty, and Lin Zhongxun was exempted from military service! Only the Japan team sobbed alone.
Originally, he was going to be a soldier on August 19th, but Lin Zhongxun's bronze medal match passed the Danshu Iron Coupon, so he didn't have to serve in the military!
The Korea Table Tennis Association is also very happy: the road to Olympic medals that has been blocked for 12 years has finally been opened! Lim Joong-hoon (27) and Shin Yu-bin (20) won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles at Paris 2024.
Lim Chung Hoon/Shin Yu Bin defeated Hong Kong 4-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12) and Wong Chun Ting/To Hoi Kin Kin Ting were completely defeated in the bronze medal match at the Arena du Sud in Paris, France, on the night of 30 (12pm Korea time).
It was a resounding victory that upended expectations of a close match. The left-handed (Lim Chung Fun) and the right hand (Shin Yu-bin) work together organically to constantly push Hong Kong players to the COSCO or backhand position to create scoring opportunities for themselves. As Korea's left and right rackets alternately fired at the near stage, the Hong Kong team could not find a solution in the first three rounds and collapsed. In the final fourth game, the Hong Kong team won the game point first, but the combination of Lin Zhongxun and Shin Yubin did not panic and continued their rhythm, and finally turned the situation around and ended the game.
Shin Yubin's serve return to prepare for the Olympics and Lim Joong-hoon's forehand topspin played a decisive role in the final. In general, the mixed doubles was considered a disadvantage due to the system in which women were attacked by men, but in this tournament, Shin Yubin showed the same excellent defense and attacking power as the male players, and even broke the old concept. Korea's two partners took the lead in game after match to win the game. Eventually, they qualified for the Olympic podium in their own right.
Lim Joong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin have been working together since 2022. It was formed when Shin Yubin, who had been absent for about a year due to injury, returned to competition after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2021 World Championships in Houston.
The Korea Table Tennis Association (Chairman Yoo Seung-min) has developed a strategy focusing on mixed doubles, which is most likely to win Olympic medals, and has consistently supported Lim Joong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin in their overseas campaigns. Since its formation, the Linshen group has participated in 17 international competitions, won 5 times, reached the finals 4 times, and reached the semifinals 5 times.
Chairman Yoo Seung-min and Vice President Kim Taek-so, who won the men's singles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, shared the joy of winning another Olympic medal.
There are also hardships. At the Singapore Grand Slam in January, the Linshen duo finished runner-up and almost became the second seed. Japan's Tomokazu Haramoto/Hina Hayada overtook Lim Joong-hoon/Shin Yu-bin in the WTT Star Challenge in Bangkok, the last international event before the Olympics.
In the end, Lin Shen qualified for the Olympics as the third seed and faced China's Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha in the semi-finals. It was an unfortunate match, with the favourites meeting earlier than expected.
The Lin Shen duo surprised table tennis fans around the world with their incredible performance against China in the semi-finals. In the end, he surpassed his opponents Huang Zhenting/Du Hoi Kim in the bronze medal match and finished third.
Shin Yubin and Lim Jong-hoon thanked each other in a post-match interview, saying, "It's great to be an Olympic medallist. We trusted each other, gave our best every point, and in the end we got a good result. I believe that good teamwork comes from trusting each other, taking on challenges, and having fun. ”
Shin Yubin: "There are also singles and team competitions, so I will continue to work hard and feel these good feelings again,"
After winning the men's team silver medal at London 2012, the Korea table tennis team has not won consecutive medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. In the mixed doubles event at the Paris Olympics, Lim Joong-hoon/Shin Yu-bin finally won the bronze medal, opening the medal lane that had been blocked for 12 years. As the first match of the table tennis competition achieved the expected results and the first medal was decided, the expectations for the remaining men's and women's individual singles and team events also increased. The individual singles competition between Jang Yuzhen (28 years old) and Shin Yubin for medals will be played on the 31st to start the official competition. The men's and women's team competitions will begin on August 5.
Ping Pong Hu Qingyuan