Exhausting Battle Ends in Gold: Smash Victory Over China

[Anchor]

World number two women's doubles badminton pair Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na staged a comeback victory against the world's top-ranked Chinese players to claim South Korea's first women's doubles gold medal in 24 years. After an exhausting battle that left all four players collapsing on the court, they emerged victorious in the end.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

A classic match worthy of a final between the world's top two pairs unfolded.

Facing world number ones Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na dropped the first game after a grueling seven deuces, but they remained unshaken.

Displaying solid teamwork built over nearly four years, they claimed the second game to level the match.

Then came the deciding final game.

Down 11-10, they faced a major crisis when Lee So-hee collapsed while defending, appearing to suffer from leg cramps. However, Lee got back up and Baek Ha-na covered extra ground, keeping the game tight until the very end.

Soon, trouble hit the opponents.

As South Korea tied the score at 18-18, China's Liu Shengshu collapsed, clutching her leg.

With both teams physically depleted, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na dug deep for one final burst of concentration, winning three consecutive points to seal the victory.

After an exhausting battle lasting over one hour and 50 minutes, all four players collapsed onto the court.

Wiping away the disappointment of their silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, Lee and Baek secured South Korea's first women's doubles gold medal in 24 years. After comforting Liu Shengshu—who received treatment for some time—they celebrated their joy with their trademark piggyback ceremony.

[Baek Ha-na / National Badminton Team : We had a chance back in Hangzhou as well, and now that it was delayed by another three or four years, we feel like we've broken that record. It's such an honor, and I'm just so happy.]

[Lee So-hee / National Badminton Team : Out of the four of us, I think my hamstring started cramping up first. Honestly, I had only one thought in mind: just push through and endure.]

Following their victory at the World Championships last month, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na once again defeated the same opponents to capture a major title, cementing their status as the new powerhouses.

[Lee So-hee / National Badminton Team : (Is the gold medal heavy?) It's very heavy.]

[Let's go!]

(Photo: Yang Du-won | Video Editing: Park Jeong-sam | Design: Park Tae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.