Korean badminton team eyes record medal haul in Paris
Korean badminton players competing at the Paris Olympics stand together in front of a photo wall during the national team media day at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, June 25. Yonhap
Since badminton became an Olympic medal sport in 1992, Korea has collected six gold medals, but never more than two at a single competition.
The country picked up two gold medals each in 1992 and 1996, and added one gold medal in 2004 and again in 2008.
Korea has won three bronze medals over the past three Olympics combined. But boasting the world's top-ranked women's singles player in An Se-young, Korea looks poised to end its gold medal drought in Paris this summer.
Kim Hak-kyun, head coach of the national team, said Tuesday he won't be satisfied with just one gold.
"Every player on the team wants to win gold, and I believe all of them are gold medal candidates," Kim told reporters during the national team media day at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 85 kilometers southeast of Seoul. "It wouldn't be a surprise to see any one of them win a gold medal. I know we have never won more than two gold medals at a single Olympics, and we're going to try to win medals in all five events this year."
Korea will compete in the men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles in Paris.
Korea enjoyed a banner year in 2023. At the world championships in August, Korea set a national record by winning three gold medals and one bronze medal. It captured two more gold medals and seven medals overall at the Asian Games about a month later.
Kim Hak-kyun, head coach of the Korean national badminton team, center, speaks during the national team media day at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, June 25. Yonhap
An was at the center of that impressive run. She became the first Korean to win a women's singles title in world championships history and then swept up two gold medals — in the singles and the team event — at the Asian Games.
The 22-year-old suffered a knee injury during the women's singles final at the Asian Games, and it continued to bother her into the 2024 season. But coach Kim said his star pupil should be ready to dominate again in Paris.
"She has done an admirable job of shaking off her injury. She must have been under a lot of stress, and I am proud of the way she has emerged from her adversity," Kim said. "I have faith in An Se-young. She's been building up nicely for the Olympics, and I believe she will do her part in Paris."
Korea has other athletes positioned inside the top 10 in the world rankings. Seo Seung-jae, who won the 2023 world titles in the men's doubles and mixed doubles, is ranked No. 4 and No. 3 in those disciplines, respectively. In the women's doubles, Baek Hana and Lee So-hee are No. 2 in the world, while Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong sit five spots below.
Coach Kim said his players are working on the finer points of their games with the Olympics just about a month away.
"It hasn't even been a year since we competed at the Asian Games, and our mindsets are different now," Kim said. "There is an even stronger sense of trust between the athletes and the coaching staff. We all have a clear sense of purpose. We're ready to put on a record-breaking performance." (Yonhap)