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Korean men's and women's table tennis team qualify for Paris 2024

Published: 22 Feb. 2024, 14:01 Updated: 22 Feb. 2024, 17:19

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Korea's Shin Yu-bin, left, serves the ball during a World Team Table Tennis Championships women's team match against Brazil at BEXCO Convention Centre in Busan on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The Korean men's and women’s table tennis teams qualified for the Paris Olympics after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan on Wednesday.

In the round of 16 matches, the women’s team secured a 3-1 win over Brazil, before the men’s team beat India 3-0.

Each team consists of five players, but only three play in a team match with a best-of-five format.

In the men’s team, Hangzhou Asian Games silver medalists Lim Jong-hoon and An Jae-hyun compete alongside Lee Sang-su, Jang Woo-jin and Park Gyu-hyeon.

Over in the women’s team, Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalists Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee are competing alongside Lee Zi-on, Yoon Hyo-bin and Lee Eun-hye.

Shin and Jeon were the only ones to win gold in table tennis for Korea at the Asiad last year, topping the podium in the women’s doubles.

The duo also played in Wednesday’s match and displayed solid form, which is a good sign ahead of the Paris Olympics in July.

The Olympics will be Shin’s second Games, having competed at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the youngest ever Korean Olympic table tennis player at the age of 17.

This year may be a chance for her to win her first Olympic medal alongside Jeon, who will be competing at the Games for a third time.

Since table tennis was adopted as an Olympic sport in 1988, Korea has won 18 medals in the sport, making it the second-winningest country behind China, at 60.

Korea, however, has seen a medal drought in recent Olympics, having failed to win any medal in the 2016 and 2020 tournaments.

The last time Korea won an Olympic medal was in 2012 when Joo Se-hyuk, Oh Sang-eun and Ryu Seung-min took silver in the men’s team competition. The women’s team's last Olympic medal was in 2008, when Dang Ye-seo, Kim Kyung-ah and Park Mi-young secured bronze.

For the past four Olympics, China swept gold medals in both the men's and women’s team competitions.

The Korean women’s team will next face China in the quarterfinals later in the afternoon as of press time Thursday, while the men’s team will face Denmark on Friday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]