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| 사진 출저=WTT |
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| 사진 출저=WTT |
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After Shin Yu-bin's last match point, the soul partners hugged each other tightly.
Jeon Ji-hee (33), the 'Korea Women's Table Tennis Ace', had a farewell match against Shin Yu-bin (21, Korean Air) of the 'Soul Partner' at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash.
Jeon Ji-hee faced Shin Yoo-bin in the round of 64 of the WTT Singapore Smash Women's Singles held at the Singapore Sports Hub on the afternoon of the 3rd. After announcing his retirement from the national team in November last year, WTT's farewell stage, which coincided with Jeon Ji-hee's retirement ceremony, was scheduled for the last match against Shin Yu-bin, who is as close as fate.
Jeon Ji-hee enjoyed the last game in this competition, which she played lightly without any training since her retirement announcement. After losing 1 game 8-11 and 2 games 6-11, Shin Yu-bin's strong back drive in the last 3 games revived to lead 0-1, 1-6. Showtime began at 3-9. The last fan service shone. The crowd cheered at Shin and Jeon Ji-hee's brilliant Ping-Pong rally, with no concessions, and immediately after Shin took the match point, the two players smiled brightly and "Time out!cried " Jeon Ji-hee's breath was full of smiles. After wiping off the sweat, Jeon Ji-hee followed the three points with her unique back drive and persistent receiving. 7-10, a unique, unwavering match continued. Shin Yu-bin's pore drive is plugged into Jeon Ji-hee's table, 7-11. Game Score 0-3. The two aces, who have been in constant companionship for the past three years, embraced each other warmly.
Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee are famous for the renaissance of Korean women's table tennis. It was widely believed in the table tennis world that the best combination of right-handed and left-handed doubles was the luck of Korean women's table tennis as Jeon Ji-hee waited for Shin Yu-bin to grow up and Jeon Ji-hee's spirit was added to Shin Yu-bin's spirit. Together, the two made history of silver medals in the women's doubles at the 2023 World Championships in Durban, South Africa, following the 2021 Doha Asian Championships gold medal, tied for the first time in 21 years in the women's doubles at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, won the women's team bronze at the Paris Olympics last summer, and led South Korea to its second consecutive runner-up finish at the mixed team World Cup in November. Jeon Ji-hee, a former Chinese youth national team member who came to Korea in 2008 dreaming of becoming a national team member and has been a national player since becoming a naturalized player in 2011, did not hide her gratitude and affection for Shin Yu-bin after achieving her dream of winning an Olympic medal in Paris last year following the Asian Games and the World Championship.
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Like the victory ceremony, which was always cute and pleasant, their last match was also warm. Jeon Ji-hee, who carried the weight of the Korean women's table tennis on her shoulders, patted Shin Yu-bin on the shoulder. In front of the referee's seat, Shin Yu-bin lightly kissed Jeon Ji-hee's hand and expressed 'Respect'. Jeon Ji-hee lifted her arms up and greeted the crowd. Applause from Singapore's table tennis fans poured in.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
