There's also a medal for Korean badminton singles. Yoo Soo-young and Kim Jung-joon (WH2) made it to the semifinals together by winning the group stage

Sep 01, 2024

Korean badminton ace Yoo Soo-young beat Germany's Rick Connell Hellmann 2-1 in the second round of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) group qualifying round at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France on the night of the 31st (Korea time). Yoo Soo-young smashes the shuttlecock. Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Korean badminton has raised the possibility of a medal on the Paris Paralympic stage. Two Korean players have advanced to the semi-finals of the men's singles (WH2 grade).

Korea's badminton ace Yoo Soo-young (21, Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled) and veteran Kim Jung-joon (46, Daegu Urban Development Corporation) won the group qualifying round for the Paris Paralympic Singles (WH2) with two consecutive wins, brightening their prospects for winning medals.

Yoo Soo-young came from behind to win 2-1 (19-21 21-17 21-7) at the second Group C match of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) at 11 p.m. on the 31st (Korea time) at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France.

Korean badminton ace Yoo Soo-young beat Germany's Rick Connell Hellmann 2-1 in the second round of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) group qualifying round at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France on the night of the 31st (Korea time). Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

As a result, Yoo Soo-young succeeded in advancing to the semifinals by ranking first in the group with two wins in the preliminary round. Yoo Soo-young, who lightly shut down Mai Jian Peng (China) 2-0 in the first round of the preliminary round held the previous day, struggled in the beginning against Helmann and gave up the first set. Yoo Soo-young, who led the early atmosphere, allowed a 16-16 chase as the shot continued to go long and crossed the end line from the middle.

Following the luck that the opponent's hairpin attack hit the net and fell, Yoo Soo-young's shot of his heart fell out of the line and was overturned 16-18. After that, they exchanged one point each, but Yoo Soo-young's shot from 18-19 was blocked by the net, and Yoo Soo-young's shuttlecock from 19-20 fell outside the line and gave up the first set.

However, Yoo Soo-young, who has a unique personality called 'Mental Stronger' within the national team, rather took it as an opportunity to awaken. Yoo Soo-young continued to mind control after finishing the first set 'That player is no match for me' When I came out like that, the opponent made a series of mistakes, too. He revealed the secret to overcoming the crisis.

Korean badminton ace Yoo Soo-young (left) talks with her coach during the second round of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) group qualifying round at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France on the night of the 31st (Korea time). Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

From the second set, Yoo had the pace of Yoo Soo-young. Yoo took the early lead with three straight points at 4-3. He then exchanged one point each at 19-16 and dropped a drop shot of his mind inside the line to make the set score 1-1. The third set was one-sided. While Yoo Soo-young received various shuttlecocks sent back and forth, exhausted Helman collapsed on his own. In the end, he finished the set lightly with a score of 21-7.

Yoo Soo-young said, `In singles, only the first place in the group reaches the semifinals, so I think I was a little nervous about the possibility of losing this game. It was my first Paralympic Games, so I felt a little stiff. However, with today's victory, I think I will be able to play the semifinals with ease tomorrow."

Korean badminton ace Yoo Soo-young beat Germany's Rick Connell Hellmann 2-1 in the second round of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) group qualifying round at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France on the night of the 31st (Korea time). Yoo Soo-young handles her opponent's hairpin. Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

After losing the first set, I thought "I'm not angry, but "It's not supposed to be like this." "The shuttlecock goes a little far from my court, so my mentality was a little shaken as my offense kept going out..." he said. "After the first set, I played the mind control." He came out in the second set, repeating, 'That player is no match for me.' After that, the opponent also made a mistake and the game went well. In the third set, the opponent looked tired. I made a mistake on my own, so I made it a little easier."

Yoo Soo-young's opponent in the semifinals is Hong Kong's Chan Ho United Nations. Yoo Soo-young said, `I met the athlete at this year's World Championship and I won. However, he is such a good player that he should not let his guard down. I think I can win if I don't do it like today."

Badminton national team veteran Kim Jung-joon reached the semifinals by winning the second round of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) group qualifying round at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France on the night of the 31st (Korea time). Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Badminton national team veteran Kim Jung-joon reached the semifinals by winning the second round of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Badminton Men's Singles (WH2) group qualifying round at the Port de Chappelle Arena in France on the night of the 31st (Korea time). Kim Jung-joon is aiming for a high shuttlecock.Presented by the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled

Kim Jung-joon, who played in the second Group B qualifying round of the singles (WH2), also easily beat Israel's Amir Levy 2-0 (21-15 21-12) to advance to the semifinals.

Kim Jung-joon will face world No. 1 Daiki Kajiwara (Japan), who reached the semifinals as No. 1 in Group A. It is a competition between the world's strongest (Kim Jung-joon) and the current world's strongest (Gajiwara). If both Kim Jung-joon and Yoo Soo-young win, there may be a heart-throbbing scene in which Korean players compete for gold and silver.

Paris (France) = Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com

wman@sportschosun.com