▲ Lee Seung-soo
Lee Seung-soo (Daejeon Dongsan Middle School) has secured the only gold medal for the South Korean national team at the 30th Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships.
On July 3 (local time), Lee defeated Japan's Soma Ono 4-2 (7-11, 11-8, 14-12, 11-13, 11-6, 11-3) in the U-15 boys' singles final held in Bangkok, Thailand, to stand at the top of the podium.
This marks the only medal won by the South Korean delegation in the individual events of this tournament, as well as the only gold medal overall, including team events.
Lee, who advanced through the group stage with an undefeated record, swept Kevin Cruz (Philippines) 3-0 in the round of 32 and defeated China's Min Ming 3-0 in the round of 16.
He reached the final by beating Sora Okada (Japan) 3-1 in the quarterfinals and Chen Kai-cheng (Taiwan) 4-3 in the semifinals.
The South Korean delegation earned a total of four medals in this tournament, including Lee's gold, a silver in the U-15 boys' team event, a bronze in the U-19 boys' team event, and a bronze in the U-15 girls' team event.
(Photo: Courtesy of Korea Table Tennis Association, Yonhap News)
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