South Korea Wins Silver and Bronze Medals in Badminton at Paris Paralympic Games

At the Paris Paralympic Games, South Korea won a silver and a bronze medal in badminton, with Choi Jeong-man and Kim Jeong-jun making history in the sport.

Badminton became an official sport for the first time at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, and South Korea has been making waves in the sport ever since. Choi Jeong-man, winner of the 2014 and 2018 Asian Para Games, challenged for his first Paralympic gold medal but faced stiff competition from China’s Qu Zimo, a two-time Tokyo Olympic champion.

Despite his best efforts, Choi Jeong-man lost to Qu Zimo, but paid tribute to his opponent who gave his all. “It was rather refreshing. I was more thankful that my opponent didn’t adjust (to me) and played his own game properly. I want to tell him to try to confront (the obstacle). If you think that it’s impossible, you won’t be able to try and achieve it,” he said.

The bronze medal match between Kim Jeong-jun and his opponent was a close match, with Kim Jeong-jun emerging victorious after three close deuce battles. The two players gave their all and hugged each other tightly, and the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

Kim Jeong-jun’s message to his opponent was one of encouragement and support. “Don’t be too upset about losing. If you work harder, there are many ways to improve, so let’s work harder together. Let’s go to LA again,” he said.

In other news, Kim Jong-nam took home a valuable bronze medal in the 25-meter pistol shooting event, adding to South Korea’s medal tally.

This is Lee Myeong-no of MBC News, reporting on the latest developments from the Paris Paralympic Games.

Video coverage: Hyun Ki-taek / Video editing: Ahn Jun-hyeok