Veteran men's table tennis players kept injuries, illness secret

By Kim Jong-chan

The South Korean men's table tennis team of Joo Sae-hyuk, Oh Sang-eun and Ryu Seung-min fared better on Monday, beating Hong Kong 3-0 to set up a gold medal match against China. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, South Korea won bronze in the men's team event.

The three, who are all in their 30s, are veterans among South Korean male table tennis players. They are all top-20-ranked players in the world, with Joo at No. 10.

After the team accomplished its goal of advancing to the final, Ryu, 30, who played the “role of an ace” in the semifinal, made public the secrets he had kept previously.

Ryu said last December, he had injuries not only to ligaments of his right shoulder but also in left knee.

At that time, doctors said Ryu had to undergo surgery. However, he continued rehabilitation treatment instead and he recovered from his injuries.

Ryu, the gold medalist in the men’s individual event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said his pride was hurt when coaches sought to replace him with a younger player.

He said he had considered retirement.

Ryu said he was sorry for having stripped juniors of a chance to participate in the London Olympics.

“If a contest was held at home to select members of the men’s table tennis squad for the London Games, I would have been eliminated. So, I feel sorry and I would like to thank them for it.”

He said at first, he received treatment for phlegmon cellulitis. “I thought that something went wrong since there was few signs of recovery. The initial diagnosis turned out to be wrong. Later, my illness was diagnosed as Behcet’s Disease.

“Behcet’s Disease is a chronic disease. Therefore, I had to play, tolerating the pain,” Joo said.

Of the three, Oh is oldest. Oh, 35, called a “master of defense,” succeeded in keeping a promise he made with Kim Taek-soo, coach of his KDB Daewoo Securities team, who, according to Oh, had saved him.

Last December, Oh was sacked from KGC (Korea Ginseng Corporation) on the grounds that he played in an insincere manner during matches.

jckim@koreatimes.co.kr