'14-year-old ace Bae Soo-yeon'Seo Soo-yeon X Yoon Ji-yu'"My goal is to win two titles together"
Aug 28, 2024
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The Paralympic table tennis team began official training at the South Paris Arena in Paris, France on the 27th (Korea Standard Time). The 17-player table tennis team boasts the largest of the 83 Paralympic South Korean squads. He won about eight to 12 medals in each competition.
Cho Jae-kwan, head coach of the table tennis team, said, `Table tennis is the largest among the athletes and has the most medals, so expectations are high, but it is also burdensome.' The primary goal is to win at least three gold medals excluding silver and bronze medals. "If we win two gold medals at the beginning of the competition, we can expect to exceed our goal." The national table tennis team has won one gold medal in four consecutive tournaments since the 2004 Athens Games, when it harvested five gold medals.
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Ju Young-dae believes that how much to reduce mistakes will be the key to losing two consecutive games. He said "If we analyze the competitions we have participated in so far, I think we can solve the game easily by reducing mistakes"I've been training with an emphasis on sub-practice in particular. If you serve well, you'll get good results."
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The two players are 14 years apart. Seo Soo-yeon says "Jiyu is blunt, but she takes it well when I make jokes or make jokes. As we talk, we sometimes feel the age difference, but there is no big problem in communication. "I'll trust the strong ace of the national team and do well."." Yoon Ji-yu said "I'm calm, but we also play a lot of jokes with each other. I want to work well with Suyeon and get the first step in doubles`.
Paris = Joint Compromise Foundation
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-How does it feel to come to the main stadium and train
▶It feels different when you train at the main stadium. I'm trying to pick as many as I can because I have a short training time here.
-What do you think about this meaningful place where South Korean athletes played an active part in the Olympics.
▶I looked carefully at how different it was from what I saw on the show. Korean athletes did well in the Olympics, so I will get the energy and perform well in the Paralympics.
-I think Olympic table tennis players will cheer for you
▶I would appreciate it if you could cheer me on. We'll try to make it taste like we're cheering for you with good results.
-the determination to participate in a competition
▶ We always played individual matches first, but this time we start with doubles. I'm practicing doubles a lot (with Yoon Ji-yu) and doing individual training. We continued to play together as a national team and team competitions, but it's the first time we've been a doubles partner. We're working together and talking a lot. In terms of grades, we're the top, but we didn't always do that. This time, I'll show you the power of the first place.
-My goal for the doubles with Yoon Jiyu is
▶Of course, I'm looking at two medals. Both want to take the colors to gold. I will receive energy first in doubles and make sure to perform well in individual competitions.
-a considerable age gap of 14 years. How do we communicate
▶Jiyu is awkward. If I make a joke, I'm good at it. Even when practicing, if you make jokes, you take them well. While talking, there are times when I feel an age difference, but overall, I communicate without any major problems. Ji-yu is the ace of the national team, so I put pressure on her, but this time, I'll trust a strong ace and do well.
-My goal for the individual game is
▶My goal is to win a gold medal, but I hope I can achieve it this time. I don't know what the next opportunity will be, so I want to be determined to be the last. The individual competition (with Yoon Ji-yu) is different in weight class, so they will not compete together, but they will support each other.
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-From the pre-camp to the present, the atmosphere of the team
▶ Ahead of this competition, the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled provided a lot of support and investment in all sports as well as table tennis. The pre-training camp facilities are also the athletes' village used by the non-disabled French national handball team. The facilities were well-equipped and well-trained. The purpose of the pre-camp is to quickly adjust to the time difference and get in the best condition, but it went well as intended. The atmosphere of the team is good. There is no such thing as players shrinking or training atmosphere. 100% conditioning, training, and treatment are being carried out according to the player's own will.
-What did you pay special attention to ahead of the Paralympics
▶ Training is conducted in a way that focuses as much as possible at a set time. Table tennis for the disabled differs in weight class depending on the degree of disability of the player, and the physical strength is not the same. If you train for an hour, you will train as much as you can concentrate and rest the rest of the time. In the past, there was an atmosphere of forcing the team to do so while looking at the overall atmosphere of the team or senior players, but it was completely eliminated. The dedicated coach assigned to each player manages the players, but introduces a coach rotation method during training hours. It is a dimension where players receive various pitches and experience slightly different coaching methods.
-Table tennis is the largest among the entire team's sports. I think I'll have a different determination.
▶ Table tennis is the largest among the athletes and the most medals. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also feeling pressure. The primary goal is to win at least three gold medals, excluding silver and bronze. According to the (number of gold medals) data so far, it is 1 in Tokyo, 1 in Rio, 1 in London, and 1 in Beijing. Athens had five and Sydney had five. The total number of medals, including gold, silver, and bronze, was between 8 and 12 per competition. The total number of medals was the same, but the number of gold medals fell to one. We need to get out of this quickly. If you break through two gold medals at the beginning of the competition and get into the atmosphere, I think it is worth expecting to achieve the goal.
sky4us@sportschosun.com
