Kim So-young (31, Incheon International Airport Corporation) and Gong Hee-yong (25, Jeonbuk Bank) will face Hong Kong's Yeong Ng-ating and Yeong Pu-i-lam in the women's doubles quarterfinals of the '2022 Hangzhou Asian Games' held at the Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on the 5th. Won the game score 2-1 (21-8 16-21 21-9).
The pair of Kim So-young and Kong Hee-yong were ranked 3rd in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings, and their opponent was ranked 23rd. As there was a difference of 20 places, the team of Kim Seo-young and Kong Hee-yong took the lead at the beginning of the first game. They showed off their powerful offense, including smashing, and widened the score gap to 21-8.
It was from the second game that an unusual atmosphere was felt. The situation has changed very differently from game 1. They were in a situation where they were being dragged, and although they tried to turn the situation around, they were unable to do so and lost the second game 16-21. Due to the nature of the tournament, if you lose, you are eliminated, so you had to win 3 games. The national team showed the complete opposite of the two-game slump, completely defeating the opponent 21-9.
Kim So-young and Gong Hee-yong, who met after the game, did not look good. There may have been some parts of the game that I was not satisfied with, but more than that, I was worried about the physical condition of my eldest sister, Kim So-young. From the moment Kim So-young entered her mixed zone that day, she frowned as if the pain was continuing, and she even showed tears.
Kim So-young said, "I think (her muscles) are a little lifted now. It's where I injured it at the last China Open," and she said, "I think I need to go for treatment," as she exited the mixed zone.
Soyoung Kim had to withdraw from one of her international competitions last month due to leg pain. At the time, she injured her right calf muscle in the round of 32 of the World Badminton Federation World Tour Super 1000 China Open held in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, and the pair of Kim So-young and Gong Hee-yong had to abandon the match.
At that time, Kim So-young, who returned to Korea immediately, rested and underwent her injection treatment. Thanks to that, she recovered her condition and was able to join the Asian Games entry, but on this day, the same area caused trouble again during the match.
The eldest sister, Kim So-young, is stronger than the current badminton team. We shared glorious moments while participating in numerous international competitions, including the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In the Kim So-young-Gong Hee-yong group, she is achieving outstanding results, teaming up well with Kong Hee-yong, who is four years younger than her, and rising to 3rd place in the world rankings.
Kim So-young is scheduled to meet world No. 1 pair Chen Qing-chun and Zhai Yi-fan in the semifinals at 11 a.m. on the 6th (Korean time). Because she is a strong opponent, thorough preparations are needed, but at the moment, Kim So-young's physical condition is not clear, so there is concern.
Meanwhile, regarding his determination for the semi-finals, Kong Hee-yong said, "The opponent is the world's No. 1 team, so we will do our best with the mindset that we will learn from it." He added, "(Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na have faced opponents in the women's team match), but I think of it separately from the result." “Sohee has her own style. We will prepare to play well,” he said with strong determination.