'(Shin) Yubin will be top class, add support and the medal color will change' Jeon Ji-hee's decisive remarks after her first semifinal match in 12 years

Aug 07, 2024

Photo provided by Ahn Sung-ho, a monthly tabloid reporter

"Thanks to (Shin) Yu-bin, I received a good seed and was able to advance to the semifinals. I hope the country will provide more support for top-class players like Yubin."

Jeon Ji-hee (32, Mirae Asset Securities, 14th in the world), a veteran Korean women's table tennis player, gave generous praise and affection to Shin Yoo-bin (20, Korean Air, 8th in the world) shortly after reaching the semifinals for the first time in 12 years in the team event at the Paris Olympics on the 6th (Korea time).

The South Korean women's table tennis team, led by head coach Oh Kwang-heon, beat Sweden in the quarterfinals of the women's team event at the South Paris Arena with a 3-0 victory over Sweden. It was the first time in 12 years since the 2012 London Games that it had been moved to the semifinals of the team event. Shin Yoo-bin and Jeon Ji-hee's team caught the first doubles without fail, Lee Eun-hye (29, Korean Air, 42nd in the world) grabbed two games and Jeon Ji-hee grabbed three games, becoming the first to confirm her advance to the semifinals.

After the game, the faces of the players who met in the mixed zone were bright. In particular, Jeon Ji-hee, who had to shed tears at the World Championships and three Olympic team events after winning the Taegeuk mark in 2015, did not hide her joy.

The South Korean table tennis team is posing for reporters after advancing to the semifinals by beating Sweden in the women's quarterfinals of the 2024 French Olympics table tennis team at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France, on the 6th. From left, director Oh Kwang-heon, Shin Yoo-bin, Lee Eun-hye, and Jeon Ji-hee. Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.6/

The Korean women's table tennis team won the third seed after China and Japan in this tournament. Shin Yu-bin ranked eighth in the world and Jeon Ji-hee ranked 15th in the world, receiving favorable seeds, and Hong Kong, a tougher opponent than Sweden, was also eliminated from the round of 16. Jeon Ji-hee confessed, `I've been a member of the national team since 2015, and it's been sad and hard for me.' "This time, Yu-bin won a high ranking and received a good seed. I was able to achieve this result because I went around the world and earned ranking points." "It might be easy to watch, but I know how hard it is after 12 years in the national team. That's why Yubin is always so precious," he said, expressing his gratitude. "Yubin joined the national team, so the atmosphere of the national team has changed a lot. Yubin has good energy. It makes the surroundings bright."

Shin Yoo-bin (left) and coach Oh Kwang-heon are delighted with Jeon Ji-hee's score in the women's quarterfinals of the French Olympic table tennis team at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France on the 6th (Korea time). Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.6/

Chances are high that China will face off in the semifinals on Sunday. If you win, you go to the final, and if you lose, you go to the bronze medal. Jeon Ji-hee said, `Honestly, my goal was always to win a medal, and my bigger dream was to reach the finals, but it wasn't easy. However, with Yubin, he reached the final at the South African World Championship (silver) and Hangzhou Asian Games (gold). At the same time, my thoughts have changed a lot." "Congratulations on advancing to the semifinals, but I think it's just the beginning."," he said emphatically. "Our goal is a medal. We need to win a medal to get better support."

Jeon Ji-hee and Shin Yu-bin exchange signatures before serving against Sweden's Christina Karlberg-Philippa Berghand Joe in the women's quarterfinals of the 2024 French Olympics at the South Paris Arena in Paris, France, on the 6th (Korea time). Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.6/

Lee Eun-hye (left) is thumbing up with Shin Yu-bin after winning against Sweden's Linda Bergstrom in the women's quarterfinal second game of the French Olympic table tennis team at the South Paris Arena in Paris, France on the 6th (Korea time). Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.6/

Shin Yu-bin is cheering for Jeon Ji-hee in the women's quarterfinals of the French Olympic table tennis team at the South Paris Arena on the 6th (Korea time). Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.6/

Six players (Jang Woo-jin, Lim Jong-hoon, Cho Dae-sung, Shin Yoo-bin, Jeon Ji-hee, and Lee Eun-hye) were dispatched to the men's and women's table tennis tournament. The AD support of on-site staff was also not smooth because the total squad quota was small and it was not classified as a gold medal event for the Korean Sports Council. While he was accompanied by a training partner with many other sports such as fencing and judo, Park Kyu-hyun, the youngest national team player, accompanied him as a partner and was responsible for the ball box of senior players such as Shin Yu-bin. Yoo Seung Min, the president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, raised the morale of the players by providing a shelter for the players and a vehicle dedicated to the team and promising a business seat for the medalists, but the AD chaos was difficult to solve because most of the unpopular sports were common. I couldn't help but envy the sight of table tennis powers such as China and Japan taking one-on-one training partners to train on the field. Jeon Ji-hee, the captain of the women's national team, spoke out on the issue in an unusual way after reaching the semifinals for the first time in 12 years. It was a determined statement for Shin Yu-bin, a junior whom he has never seen in the past decade or so.

Jeon Ji-hee said, `I wish we had done better and had more AD cards. It would have been nice if more personal trainers or partners came in. Yubin is now a top class, and now all Japanese players are training with one-on-one partners. Regardless of being envious, how to better support Yubin in the future will change the color of the Olympic medal." "Once you win a medal, your support will be better. We need to work harder to win more medals and get better support," he said, expressing his desperation for the medal.

Photo provided by Ahn Sung-ho, a monthly tabloid reporter

Shin Yu-bin (left) holds hands with Lee Eun-hye, who won the women's quarterfinal match at the French Olympic table tennis team at the South Paris Arena in Paris on the 6th (Korea time). Paris (France) = Reporter Chung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.8.6/

Shin Yu-bin achieved the semifinals of the team event, the bronze medal in mixed doubles, and the semifinals in singles, followed by the semifinals of all events. When I mentioned this, Shin Yu-bin said "Really? I didn't know.," he said with his eyes wide open. "I didn't think of it, but it's so nice. I'm putting everything into every point of each game, and it's such an honor to be able to play many games, and I'll put everything into the rest of the game. Just as I trusted my sisters, I will play a game where I get trust from them as well. "

Ahead of the match against China, Jeon Ji-hee, Lee Eun-hye, and Shin Yu-bin, the top four ranked players in the world, have no intention of backing down. After competing in the first doubles with Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee in the 'World's Strongest Doubles Group', I plan to pour everything out in the singles as well. Jeon Ji-hee said, "We'll try to double as much as we can, and we'll look forward to Yubin's performance in singles."," he said, expressing confidence.

Paris = Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com

sky4us@sportschosun.com