2 Korean table tennis men's doubles, Cha Soo-yong, Park Jin-cheol, Jang Young-jin, and Park Sung-joo will go to the semifinals together

Aug 29, 2024

Cha Soo-yong (left) hits a strong smash in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles (MD4) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics at Sud Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on the afternoon of the 29th (Korea time). Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Jang Young-jin (left) attempts a push attack in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles (MD4) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics at Sud Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on the afternoon of the 29th (Korea time). Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Korean table tennis, which participated in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, achieved a feat of securing two bronze medals from the first day of the competition.

Cha Soo-yong (44, Daegu Metropolitan City Hall), Park Jin-cheol (42, Gwangju City Hall), Jang Young-jin (31, Seoul Metropolitan City Hall) and Park Sung-joo (45, Toyota Korea), who competed in the men's double table tennis (MD4) won the quarterfinals side by side and secured a bronze medal. They will meet in the final if they each win in the semifinals. The best scenario for Korea to secure gold and silver could be born.

Cha Soo-yong, Park Jin-cheol, and Jang Young-jin and Park Sung-joo defeated Italy (Federico Crossara-Falco) and England (Robert Davis and Thomas Matthew) by 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Paralympic Table Tennis (MD4 Grade) at 8:45 p.m. on the 29th (Korea Standard Time) at Sud Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France.

It was a game that was assigned at the same time, but the match between Cha Soo-yong and Park Jin-cheol started first because of the results of the previous group match. Those who met Italy had a close game in the first set. After two deuces, Cha Soo-yong and Park Jin-cheol won 13-11. Cha Soo-yong and Park Jin-chul, who gained momentum from this victory, finished the second set 11-4 in six minutes. There was Italian resistance in the third set, but it was not possible to threaten Cha Soo-yong's and Park Jin-cheol's skills. In nine minutes, he defeated 11-8 to make it to the semifinals. Since there is no separate third or fourth place match at the Paralympics, it is securing a bronze medal.

Park Sung-joo (left) receives his opponent's ball in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles (MD4) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics at Sud Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on the afternoon of the 29th (Korea time).Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Jang Young-jin and Park Sung-joo, who started slightly later than Cha Soo-yong and Park Jin-chul, also won the set score 3-0 (11-5 11-6 11-4) without much difficulty. England is the eighth seed and the lowest ranked among the eight men's doubles (MD4) teams. On the other hand, Jang Young-jin and Park Sung-joo are the top seeds. There was a clear difference in skills. Both will secure medals in their first Paralympic appearance.

In a mixed zone interview after the game, Park Jin-chul said "I couldn't hear the ball bounce because of the cheering sound of the crowd, nor did I hear the sound of hitting the RBI when I hit it. I was supposed to react after hearing the ball hit, but it was difficult because it didn't work." Cha Soo-yong "The first game is the most burdensome, but I'm glad I won comfortably with 3-0"I'm not here to win a bronze medal at the Paralympics. I will win the remaining two games and win the gold medal for sure."

Park Jin-chul (left) is turning the ball over with a backhand in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles (MD4) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics at Sud Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on the afternoon of the 29th (Korea time).Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Jang Young-jin, who succeeded in winning a medal on the first Paralympic stage, said "We had a good first match because we had a high ranking score and were seeded first." However, it is a mountain beyond the mountain, and you have to go over the high mountain in the semifinals to win the final. I think I'll have to cheer up until the end. The best-case scenario is for Korean teams to meet in the final."

Park Sung-joo "I tried not to pay attention to the cheering sound as much as possible. Also, seeing my wife in the stands gave me strength. I was able to do my best thanks to my wife who always takes care of meCha Soo-yong and Park Jin-cheol are neck-and-neck in terms of their skills. I hope we can win each other and meet in the final. I think the result will depend on the condition on the day," he said with a smile.

Cha Soo-yong, Park Jin-cheol, and Jang Young-jin and Park Sung-joo, who advanced to the semifinals, will clash with Slovakia and France at midnight on the 31st, respectively. If all of them win, the Korean team will have a 'Golden Match' at midnight on the 1st.

Lee Mi-kyu and Kang Oe-jeong (from left) are making high fives after winning the round of 16 at the Women's Table Tennis Doubles (WD10) at the 2024 Paris Paralympics at Sud Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on the 29th (Korea time). Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Meanwhile, Kang Oe-jeong (58, Gyeongsangnam-do Sports Council for the Disabled) and Lee Mi-kyu (36, Gyeongsangbuk-do Sports Council for the Disabled) also passed the round of 16. He met Germany's Sandra Mikolasek-Zana Spegel and won with a set score of 3–2 (9-11 13-111 14-126-1111-5).

Kim Young-gun (40) and Kim Jung-gil (38, Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall) of the men's doubles (MD8) also passed the first gateway to winning a medal by defeating Chile's Luis Flores-Maximiliano Rodriguez in the round of 16 with a set score of 3-0 (11-7 16-14 11-5).

wman@sportschosun.com