"You can't be a star just because of your cuteness, Shin Yu-bin proved it with his skills in Paris!" The stormy growth of `Legend' by Yoo Seung-min and Kim Taek-soo \'Piyak'
Aug 10, 2024
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The President of the Korea Table Tennis Association, Kim Yoo Seung Min, and the Vice Chairman of the Korea Table Tennis Association, Kim Taek-soo (Director of Mirae Asset Securities), praised the advancement of Shin Yu-bin (20, Korean Air).
Shin Yu-bin beat Germany 3-0 with Jeon Ji-hee (32, Mirae Asset Securities, 15th in the world) and Lee Eun-hye (29, Korean Air, 44th in the world) in the 3rd-4th women's table tennis team event at the Paris Olympics on the 10th (Korea time), and has returned a medal to the Korean women's table tennis for the first time in 16 years since Kim Kyung-ah, Dang Ye-seo, and Park Mi-young in 2008. Immediately after the bronze medal, mixed zone, Shin Yoo-bin, Jeon Ji-hee and Lee Eun-hye, who finished the interview, rushed to Yoo Seung Min Chairman and Vice Chairman Kim Taek-soo to hug them. Chairman Yoo, the 2004 Athens Olympics gold medalist, and Vice Chairman Kim, the 1992 Barcelona singles and doubles bronze medalist, smiled broadly at the achievements of their juniors.
Chairman Yoo said "Today's bronze medal match was the most perfect I've ever seen. All three of them hit it so perfectly. This is the result of the players coming together as one. As the president of the association, I thank the players." Asked for the association's support, "Our players did a good job. "I don't want to brag about it" but "I tried to make a difference as well as the association tried to make a difference. We provided each room that the players wanted on the spot and tried to support them as much as possible without any inconvenience. "I'm lucky. The World Championship in Durban, the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the Paris Olympics were all connected as one. It's a big harvest that our players have produced in all these tournaments, and I'm lucky that I was there every time."
President Yoo also praised the growth of Shin Yu-bin, who won multiple medals for the first time in 32 years since Hyun Jung-hwa, who won the 1992 Barcelona Games 'Tablegu Empress'. In the mixed doubles with Lim Jong-hoon, Shin Yu-bin came to the Korean table tennis for the first time in 12 years, reached the semifinals of the women's singles, and brought a bronze medal with her teammates in the team event. Regarding Shin's advancement, Chairman Yoo once said, `Yubin grows with every game. I've grown a lot mentally again this time. You've become very stable. technically unshakable" he praised. "There is no easy game in the Olympics. If you look at the timing of the game, you look nervous when your mental strength collapses, but there was no such thing at all in this tournament. All three beats are different, including mental, physical, and skill. Compared to last year's Asian Games, it has grown again. I think the Busan World Championship, which was sluggish earlier this year, was a stimulus to Yu-bin and a turning point."
Chairman Yoo welcomed Shin Yu-bin's star birth more than anyone else. "The infrastructure of all sports, not just table tennis, is very difficult. There are only 1,350 registered players in our table tennis. That's why one star is important and necessary." "It is an opportunity to bring various interests and support to our sport through one star, and to save table tennis." We are really encouraged by the appearance of a star named Shin Yu-bin. There were such opportunities during the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics, but there are some parts that were not continuously saved. Now, the association will not miss this opportunity and will strengthen its infrastructure to ensure that the next star will come out, following Shin Yu-bin for the 2028 and 2032 Olympics."
Vice Chairman Kim Taek-soo also praised Shin's growth. "Yubin had a higher external interest such as cuteness than his ability when he was in Tokyo. I was worried about that. How will I show this at the next Olympics? Athletes can't be a fan just because of their cuteness. But now Yubin showed this as a result. He showed his skills with the Hangzhou doubles gold, won a silver medal at the Durban World Championships, won two bronze medals with his skills at the Olympics, and now Yubin is a real star." "Most of all, it is exhausting and difficult to get into the semifinals of all events in a tense situation as Yubin played all the mixed doubles, singles, and team events for 15 days from the 27th, the first day of the game to the last game today, but playing table tennis happily with such a bright expression has grown tremendously compared to his age. I want to say thank you so much for this."
sky4us@sportschosun.com
