First ‘2 finals in 1 day’… Busy Hwang Sun-woo to complete Super Friday

Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon Provincial Office) will compete in the first ‘two finals in one day’ of the competition. As if he wasn’t busy enough, Hwang will complete a super gold medal day.

Hwang will compete in the men’s 200m freestyle and 400m mixed medley relay at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Sunday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Pool in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Sunwoo Hwang’s first day of competition began on the 24th. He competed in the men’s 100-meter freestyle, the 800-meter freestyle relay and the 400-meter medley relay. Hwang usually competes in the morning preliminaries and finals in the evening, but this day will be different. Following the morning heats, there will be two finals in the evening.

Sunwoo Hwang competed in the men’s 200-meter freestyle preliminaries in the morning. He raced in heat three and finished first overall out of 36 swimmers with a time of 1:47.08. He was among the top eight swimmers in his heat and punched his ticket to the finals.

There was a break in the 400-meter medley relay preliminaries. The team of Lee Ju-ho (Seogwipo City Hall, backstroke), Choi Dong-yeol (Gangwon Provincial Office, breaststroke), Kim Seo-young (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office, butterfly), and Heo Yeon-kyung (Bingsango, freestyle) finished third overall in 3:51.03. Hwang Sun-woo will swim the freestyle in the 400-meter medley relay final.

The men’s 200-meter freestyle will be the first event of the day. At 8:48 p.m. (KST), Hwang will go for his first Asian Games gold medal. This will be followed by the 400-meter medley relay at 9:57 p.m. after a one-hour break.

It’s a grueling schedule for the swimmers, who will have an hour to quickly recover, warm up and get back into competition shape.

Still, if Hwang Sun-woo performs, South Korea could complete a super Friday. Hwang is a strong favorite in the 200m freestyle. He won a bronze medal in the men’s 200m at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships in July, breaking the Korean record in 1:44.42. This was just 0.03 seconds off the Asian record set by Sun Yang (CHINA). It’s a sign of confidence.

Hwang told the media a day earlier (26), “Tomorrow (27) is my complete main event, the 200-meter freestyle. I don’t think I’m in bad shape right now, so I’ll take good care of myself and hopefully get the results I’ve been working so hard for,” he said, expressing his strong desire to win gold.

The mixed medley relay 400m is also worth watching. Women’s swimming sensation Kim Seo-young will be joining the team. The one-two punch of Korean men’s and women’s swimming will be highly anticipated. Korea will be looking to break the national record of 3:47.09 set at the Fukuoka World Aquatics Championships and improve on their third place finish at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games 토토사이트.

Meanwhile, if Hwang Sun-woo wins gold in the men’s 200m freestyle, he will make history as the first Korean swimmer to win more than one gold medal at a single Asian Games in 13 years, since Marine Boy Park Tae-hwan won three at the 2006 Doha and 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. A podium finish in the 400-meter mixed medley relay would complete the trifecta.

Hwang will compete in the second final on day one. Will he be able to achieve his goal of a gold medal and give Korea a super golden day?

‘We’re strong!’ North Korea beat Bahrain 2-0 to reach quarterfinals… Iran also beat Thailand 2-0

North Korea and Iran have reached the men’s soccer quarterfinals of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.

North Korea faced Bahrain in the round of 16 men’s football match at the Hangzhou Asian Games at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday (July 27) at Zhejiang Normal University Stadium in Jinhua, China.

North Korea started in a 3-4-3. Kang Ju-hyuk was in goal, Jang Kook-chul, Kim Kyung-seok, and Kim Yoo-sung formed the back three, Ri Il-sung, Kang Kook-chul, Baek Cheong-sung, and Kim Kook-beom formed the midfield, and Kim Bum-hyuk, Ri Cho-guk, and Kim Kook-jin were the front three.

Bahrain lined up in a 5-3-2. Salman Alissa was in goal with Ahmed Ali, Abdullah Alkalash, Mohammed Abdullah, Sayed Mohammed, and Ali Hassan forming the back five. Ali Albana, Sayed Alawi, and Hussain Haruna combined in the midfield. Hussain Abdulaziz and Salman Qadeib made up the back two.

The first half was dominated by North Korea. They even rattled the Bahraini goal on one occasion. Midway through the first half, defender Jang Kook-chul headed in a corner kick. However, the goal was disallowed after a foul was called for jumping on the shoulder of a Bahraini defender during a ball contest. In the 41st minute, Baek Cheong-sung squandered a perfect one-on-one opportunity. Two minutes later, Ri Il-sung’s shot from inside the box went straight at the keeper.

In first-half stoppage time, North Korea took the lead. Kang Kuk-chol broke down the right flank and sent in a precise cross with his right foot, which was met by a non-stop header from Kang. The goalkeeper reacted late, but the ball had already crossed the goal line. The first half ended with North Korea leading 1-0.

The second half was also dominated by North Korea. They pushed Bahrain hard the entire time. In the 10th minute of the second half, North Korea had a chance to add a second goal, but the North Korean player’s touch on the ball was too long as he tried to catch the ball from the goalkeeper, and the shot was blocked. In the 15th minute, Bahrain threatened North Korea’s goal for the first time in a long time with a mid-range shot, but the goalkeeper made an easy save.

In the 17th minute of the second half, North Korea added another goal. A cross from the left flank by Ri Il-sung was cleared away by the Bahraini defense and Kim Kook-beom’s shot from outside the box hit the post. It was an exquisite trajectory that left the goalkeeper reaching out but unable to get a hand on the ball.

Bahrain had a chance in the 38th minute when the North Korean goalkeeper stepped up to take a long-range free kick, but it sailed just over the bar. In the 45th minute, Ri Joguk had a header that went wide of the post. In the end, North Korea defeated Bahrain 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. North Korea will face the winner of Japan-Myanmar.

At the same time as the North Korea-Bahrain match, the round of 16 matchup between Iran and Thailand took place at the Shangcheng Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China.

Iran came out with a 3-4-3 formation. Seyed Hussein Hosseini in goal and Hussein Gudaraj, Sina Shahabash, and Seyed Majid Nasiri in defense. The midfield featured Kalekhabad Turanian, Omid Hamedpour, Muhammad Cudavandello, and Amir Jafari, while Amiralsalan Motahari, Mahdi Mamizadeh, and Muhammad Omri formed the back three.

Thailand countered with a 5-3-2. Nopporn Lakornporn was in goal, while Pongsakorn Trisat, Anusak Jaiphet, Songchai Thongcham, Nakin Wisetchat, and Jakrapong Sanmahung made up the defense. Purachet Thomsanid, Waris Chutthung, and Sita Boonrah combined in the midfield, while Soh, Yothsakorn Burapa, and Kittisak Putchan played up top. 스포츠토토

The first goal belonged to Iran. Striker Motahari opened the scoring for Thailand in the first 15 minutes. Substitute Yasin Salmani added a second goal in the 37th minute. Iran’s efficient offense, which managed to convert just two shots on goal in the 90 minutes, earned them the win. They advance to the quarterfinals alongside North Korea and will meet the winner of Hong Kong-Palestine.

FIFA Official Channel highlights Park Ji-Sung’s goal against Portugal…”He’s not just a hard-working player”

“Not just a workhorse” The official channel of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has highlighted Park Ji-Sung once again.

Park was a member of Manchester United during their golden era. After breaking into Europe under Gus Hiddink, Park left PSV Eindhoven ahead of the 2005-06 season to join the English Premier League (EPL) giants. After seven seasons in and out of the starting lineup, Park scored 27 goals and provided 25 assists in 205 appearances for United before moving on to Queens Park Rangers (QPR).

That might not seem like a lot if you look at the stats alone. However, Park was never one to rack up offensive points, but rather to ease the burden on his teammates with his high workload. He was nicknamed the “oxygen tank,” and his high workload would have been a welcome addition to any team, and his tactical value was recognized by then-Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Park is one of the most underrated players in the game. This is because, as we’ve already explained, he rarely produces offensive points, so he’s the type of player who flies under the radar. However, fans who saw him in action know that he contributed a lot to United’s golden era.

Now, Park Ji-sung has been rediscovered. The Italian media outlet ‘Area Napoli’ published an article titled “The story of the most underrated soccer player. Few people know the story of one of the midfielders who wrote United’s history. Those who deserve more attention are often underestimated, but they are really strong and often play decisive roles for their teams. Recently, ‘Novel Soccer’ has been talking a lot about Park Ji-Sung,” he said.

According to the publication, Park played an important role in the 2011 UEFA Champions League (UCL) final between Manchester United and Barcelona. Park was tasked with actively pressuring players with the ball, which led to United’s 1-3 loss to Barcelona. Sir Ferguson later regretted that he should have instructed Park to mark Messi.

The page also quoted Rooney as saying, “Nobody seems to remember Park Ji-Sung. It’s ridiculous. The people who played with him know what a great player he was.” The page also quoted Rooney as saying that Park was recognized by those around him.

This time, the official FIFA channel highlighted Park’s goal against Portugal at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Park played for the South Korean national team from 2000 to 2011, appearing in three World Cups and scoring 13 goals in 100 A matches. Most notably, he scored against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup and became a key player in the team’s quarterfinal victory 메이저사이트.

The official FIFA World Cup channel highlighted Park’s technical goal against Portugal by saying, “Park Ji-sung=not just a hard-working player (worker).”

‘158km monster high school student’ AG utilization is a starting pitcher…”Consider starting against Hong Kong or in the last game of the qualifiers”

“We need to make sure he’s not a burden.”

Ryu Jung-il, head coach of the Korean National Baseball Team, talks about how he plans to utilize Jang Hyun-seok (19, Masan Yongmago) ahead of the team’s scrimmage against the Commerce Baseball Team at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Saturday.

Jang Hyun-seok is the only high school player on the Ryu Joong-il team. Despite his young age, his skills are said to be good enough for the pros. This year, he threw a ball in the mid-to-high 150 kilometers, and his changeup, including a curve and slider changeup, is considered to be at a high level.

In nine high school games this year, he went 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA. In 29 innings pitched, he struck out 52 batters. His walks allowed per inning (WHIP) is just 0.79.

With such a strong performance, Jang was expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the rookie draft, but he set his sights on a bigger stage.

Early on, he decided to try his hand at the American game and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a total of $900,000. The Dodgers even prepared his jersey in advance, saying that the number 18 is worn by many top Asian players.

This is an important tournament for Jang Hyun-seok as well. If he wins a gold medal, he will be eligible for military service, which will make his journey to the big leagues easier.

Ryu said that he will utilize Jang Hyun-seok as a starter for now. Ryu said, “He’s a starter. He’s a high school student, so we’ll let him pitch when he’s not under pressure. For example, we’ll use him in the first game against Hong Kong or on the last day. He’s a young player, so we want to see how he performs on the mound. He’s going to be nervous.” To ease Jang’s nerves, Liu decided to give him the benefit of the doubt after watching him pitch out of the bullpen.

He was trying to ease the pressure, but if Jang Hyun-seok showed his guts on the mound, he could be given more responsibility. “If he’s really good, we can put him in as often as we want,” Ryu smiled.

“The bullpen pitching is good. There are some pitches that are a little high, but the ball itself is good. He’s good, so we’ll take him to the U.S.,” Liu said.

Meanwhile, the national team gets its first and last practice test against the Sangmu Baseball Team. The starting pitcher will be Kwak Bin. He will pitch three innings. Won Tae-in (2 innings), Jang Hyun-seok (1 inning), Jung Woo-young (1 inning), Ko Woo-seok (1 inning), and Park Young-hyun (1 inning) will pitch. In addition, the team has reached an agreement with the commercial side to allow pitchers and batters to play alongside the commercial players.

Moon Dong-ju will be the starting pitcher. Moon will pitch three innings, followed by Na Kyun-an (two innings) and Kim Young-gyu (one inning). The seventh and eighth innings will be pitched by Sangmu and the ninth by Choi Ji-min of the national team 메이저사이트.

The starting lineup for the national team is Kim Hye-sung (second baseman), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), Park Sung-sung (shortstop), Choi Won-joon (right fielder), and Kim Sung-yoon (left fielder). For the commercial baseball team, Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Kim Ji-chan (second baseman), and Kim Dong-heon (catcher) were deployed as batters 1-4.

The team will have a final practice on the 27th before leaving for Hangzhou on the 28th. They will play their first game against Hong Kong on October 1, followed by their second game against Chinese Taipei on October 2. On Oct. 3, they will play their final group game against the qualifiers.

Liu said, “We asked the commerce side to bunt when we have runners on first and second base, regardless of the score, so they can see our defense. (The national team players) are from different teams, so we need to get to know each other first, and if we get to first or third base, we need to steal a base so we can play defense,” Liu said.

Hangzhou AG releases statement on Kwon Soon-woo unsportsmanlike conduct controversy…”We will conduct a comprehensive review after the tournament and take appropriate measures based on the situation”

The Korean Athletes of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games have released a statement in response to the unsportsmanlike conduct controversy involving Kwon Soon-woo (Tennis).

Kwon Soon-woo was at the center of a controversy after he smashed his tennis racket after losing his men’s singles match at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Aug. 25 (KST).

World No. 112 Kwon Soon-woo lost 1-2 (3-6, 7-5, 4-6) to World No. 636 Kassidit Samrej of Thailand in the second round of the men’s singles tennis competition at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China.

After suffering a shocking loss to an unknown player, he was furious and smashed his racket against the cord. It didn’t end there. Samrez shook his hand but didn’t look at him, grabbed his bag and walked off the court. Samrez put on a cool face, waved to the crowd and bowed. 메이저사이트

“The Korean National Team of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 (Head Coach Choi Yoon) is very sorry for the unsportsmanlike conduct of Kwon Soon-woo after the conclusion of the Men’s Singles Round of 32 match (Kwon Soon-woo, Korea vs. Samrez Kassidit, Thailand) on Tuesday (25th),” the Korean team said in a statement on the afternoon of the 26th.

“We promise to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter after the tournament and take appropriate action under the circumstances, and once again, we would like to express our sincere apologies to the public who may have been disappointed by this incident.”

Jeju part ways with coach Nam Ki-il…Jung Jo-guk likely to take over

Jeju United, which has fallen into an extreme slump with one win, five draws, and 10 losses in its last 16 matches, has parted ways with head coach Nam Ki-il.

According to soccer sources, Nam left the Jeju club on May 25. Nam reportedly tendered his resignation, which was eventually accepted by the club. For the time being, head coach Chung Joguk will reportedly take over as acting head coach. 레고토토

Jeju had been struggling this season since the summer, and their hopes of reaching the Final A (Round of 6) were dashed early. Up until the 15th round, they were in third place with eight wins, three draws and four losses, no points behind second-placed Seoul, but they began to slide in June, ending with a win over Suwon Samsung on May 27.

A 3-0 home win over Suwon FC on Aug. 12 was their only victory in their last 16 matches. After a 0-1 loss at home to Daegu on Aug. 26, Nam made a concerted effort to turn the team around, asking supporters to encourage his players, but it didn’t make a difference.

A 1-3 home loss to Seoul on Nov. 23 put Nam’s job on the line.

Jeju currently has 35 points, two points behind 10th-place Suwon FC (29 points) with seven games remaining. If they don’t rebound in their remaining seven games, they could slip to 10th place, which would put them in the relegation playoffs.

The ‘500 million’ rookie fireballer faces a choice…starter or bullpen?

The second year for Hanwha rookie Kim Seohyun, a 160-kilometer fireballer, will be one of starting or bullpen.

Kim was selected by Hanwha with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Korean Baseball Entry Draft. Hanwha signed him to a 500 million won contract, recognizing his unlimited potential.

After spring training and exhibition games, Kim did not make the opening day roster and began the season in the Futures League. Hanwha used him as a bullpen pitcher in the second team. He quickly adapted and made his professional debut on April 19 against Doosan in Daejeon, where he pitched a one-hit, two-strikeout perfect game. His top velocity in his debut was 157.9 kilometers according to the KBO’s official PTS and 160.1 kilometers according to the Trackman system used by Hanwha.

With a fastball that reached nearly 160 kilometers, Kim seemed to adjust well to the professional stage, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 14 games through the end of May while pitching out of the bullpen.

However, he struggled against Doosan on June 7, giving up two runs in ⅓ of an inning with one walk and one strikeout, and was sent down to the second team the next day. He stayed in the second team for about two months, making a few starts, before returning to the first team on August 10.

However, on August 11, he gave up four runs on six hits and two walks in 2⅔ innings against Doosan. On August 17, he made his first start for the first team against the NC and struggled, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings. He was sent down to the second team again as his strikeouts increased significantly and he was unable to control his pitches. 굿모닝토토

Seo-hyun Kim realized the barriers of the professional stage with a 16.88 ERA in June (4 games, 2⅔ innings, 5 runs) and a 13.50 ERA in August (2 games, 4⅔ innings, 7 runs). He was a consistent starter in the second team and had a chance to earn a spot in the first team in September, but a rainout prevented him from taking advantage of the opportunity.

Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho spoke about the development of set-up men at Jamsil Stadium on Thursday and mentioned Kim Seo-hyun’s position. “Now, in the final camp, we will have to decide which position (Kim) should be in, but if we think that young players like Kim Seo-hyun, Park Joon-young and Kim Kyu-yeon, who have some fastball velocity, are better in the bullpen than in the starting rotation, we should develop them (in the bullpen),” Choi said. The starting staff includes young pitchers such as Moon Dong-ju, who throws 160 kilometers, Han Seung-ju and Nam Ji-min.

Moon played in the bullpen in the first team and has started nine games in the second team since June. The Futures League is now over. Choi plans to bring Seo-hyun Kim up to the first team at the end of the season to give him a chance to pitch once or twice.

“We need to develop our set-up men,” Choi said. “Lee Min-woo hasn’t even pitched since he came up, but Lee Min-woo, Jang Si-hwan, Joo Hyun-sang, these guys are getting older, in their mid-30s. Si-hwan is going to be in his late 30s,” he said of the need to develop a young bullpen.

“It’s not easy to find set-up men if you don’t have a bullpen. Yoon Dae-kyung is in his late 20s, but his (fastball) can be dangerous if it drops a little bit. Recently, when Jang Si-hwan is not doing well, Gyu Yeon-i has been doing a good job. Park Yoon-chul is okay, but he throws a lot of fastballs. He has a good changeup and curve, but he doesn’t throw a lot of changeups, just fastballs.”

As Hanwha plans to develop its bullpen with fastball pitchers, Kim’s position will be a challenge.

Today is a Golden Day for Taekwondo…Jang Joon, Mixed Team Both Advance to Finals

After going no-gold at the Tokyo Olympics, South Korean taekwondo is looking for a different story at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

After a dominant performance in the poomsae, gold was expected from the first day of competition. Jang Jun, the country’s leading taekwondo practitioner, made the final of the mixed team event.

Park Woo-hyuk, Seo Gun-woo (Korea Gymnastics Team), Lee Da-bin and Kim Jandi (Samsung S-one) defeated Uzbekistan 48-47 in the semifinals of the mixed team taekwondo competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games at the Lin’an Sports and Cultural Exhibition Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China on Friday.

With the win, South Korea secured at least a silver medal and will face host China, which defeated Vietnam 88-18, in the final 토토사이트.

South Korea held a comfortable 38-33 lead through two periods, but struggled in the third. They came from behind in the final minutes of the game, but were able to breathe a sigh of relief when their opponent’s goal was canceled out.

The mixed team event, which was introduced for the first time at the Asian Games, pits four athletes – two men and two women – against each other in a one-on-one competition.

The entry criteria is based on weight. The combined weight of the two men must not exceed 160 kilograms and the combined weight of the two women must not exceed 135 kilograms.

The first round is 4 minutes and the second and third rounds are 3 minutes. In the first round, the four athletes will alternate for one minute, and in the second and third rounds, the athletes will alternate. Athletes must be of the same gender.

Earlier in the day, Zhang Jun defeated Mohsen Rezai of Afghanistan in the quarterfinals of the men’s 58kg category with a round robin score of 2-0 (7-5 14-12). His final opponent will be Mahdi Hajimosaeinapoti of Iran, who defeated Cheng Kai of China with a round score of 2-1 (16-19 19-5 17-2).

McCarty Kangpan → 5⅔ innings of 2-run ball…Oh Won-seok “Two outs in the first inning, confidence gained”

The left-hander, who had struggled to get through five innings, was suddenly called upon to pitch out of the bullpen and gave up two runs in 5⅔ innings. SSG Landers’ Oh Won-seok saved the team from the brink.

SSG avenged the previous day’s loss with a 4-2 victory in the 15th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the Lotte Giants at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. The team improved to 64 wins, 2 draws, and 61 losses (0.512) on the season.

Kirk McCarty started the game, not Won-seok Oh. After a scoreless first inning and a scoreless second inning, McCarty felt uncomfortable after the top of the second inning and had to come off the mound in the bottom of the second inning when he tried to play catch but found it difficult to pitch.

It was Oh Won-seok who came out of the bullpen in a hurry to warm up. Although he started the game in the bullpen, no one expected him to take the mound in the top of the third inning.

After a leadoff walk by Hwang Sung-bin and a single by Kim Min-seok in the top of the third inning, Oh Won-seok was shaken by two wild pitches when Han Dong-hee came to bat. He eventually gave up a run on a single to Han Dong-hee.

However, no more runs were scored. Oh Won-seok recorded the first out of the inning when Jung Hoon singled to center field, but Kim Kang-min made a precise throw to catch Han Dong-hee at third base and retired Jeon Jun-woo on one pitch to end the inning. Minimizing runs and conserving energy

In the middle of the game, his crisis management skills stood out. After walking the leadoff batter in the fifth and again in the sixth innings, Oh induced two consecutive groundouts to get out of trouble. In the top of the seventh, he struck out Kim Min-soo with runners on second and third, and in the top of the eighth, he hit Lee Hak-joo with the bases loaded.

However, Oh Won-seok gave up a double to Jeong Hoon in the second inning and had to relinquish Lee to the mound, allowing the tying run to score. Almost everything was perfect until the end.

After the game, Oh Won-seok said, “I was thrown into a sudden situation, but I didn’t get nervous and focused on warming up quickly. I got two outs in the first inning, and I think I gradually warmed up and gained confidence.” “I pitched with the mindset of starting from scratch. I pitched a lot of pitches that I had been practicing and refining, and I think that was the main reason 스포츠토토.”

He also mentioned his teammates and coaches, saying, “The Yasu seniors helped me a lot in defense and scored runs, so I think we won after a long time, especially (Kim) Kwang-hyun and Kwak Hyun-hee, whose advice helped me pitch today.”

Although Oh Won-seok must have suffered a lot of ups and downs throughout the season, the team still believes in his rebound. Everyone knows that he is an indispensable pitcher for the team this year and in the future. “I will do my best in any position so that the team can go to fall baseball in the remaining games,” he said.

“Ahn Se-young Gold Chance High…Seo Seung-jae-Defeated by Oil Wells” 中 Xinhua Net Outlook

With the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games in full swing, Chinese state media has tipped Ahn Se-young (21-Samsung Life) to win a gold medal in the women’s singles badminton event.

Xinhua, China’s state news agency, published an article on its English-language website, Xinhua.net, titled “China in medal hunt amid challenges from rivals” on Aug. 22.

In it, Xinhua said of world No. 1 Ahn Se-young, “She has won nine titles this season at the age of 21. Her chances of winning the women’s singles gold medal are expected to be very high.”

He described their homegrown stars as “strong challengers” to world No. 3 Chen Yufei (25), No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi (26-Japan) and No. 4 Tai Tzu-ying (29-Taiwan).

“Japan and Indonesia remain competitive, while South Korea, which underperformed at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, has been on a winning streak lately,” Xinhuanet cautioned.

At the Jakarta-Palembang Games five years ago, China won three of the seven gold medals in men’s team, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Indonesia won the men’s singles and doubles, Japan the women’s team event, and Chinese Taipei the women’s singles gold.

South Korea suffered a ‘no-medal’ for the first time in 40 years since Bangkok 1978. Ahn Se-young in the women’s singles, Seo Seung-jae (26-Samsung Life) and Kang Min-ho (24-Samsung Life) in the men’s doubles, and Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung (28-Incheon International Airport) in the mixed doubles will be looking for gold this time around.

Team Korea head coach Kim Hak-gyun is hoping for a gold medal in the women’s team event, which precedes the individual competition.

“China’s Zheng Zhiwei and Huang Yaqiong (world No. 1) are the strongest, but they have recently lost twice in a row to Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung,” Xinhuanet said of their mixed doubles prospects.

Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung tasted gold in the mixed doubles final of the 2023 World 굿모닝토토Championships Copenhagen last month, beating Zheng Zhiwei and Huang Yaqiong for the first time in nine matches, and then defeated them again in the quarterfinals of the China Open.

Badminton at the Asian Games will begin with the men’s and women’s team events on Sept. 28, followed by the individual events from Oct. 2-7, including the men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.