1 Harvest Close + Retirement Preview’ Seo Hyo-won “I want to praise myself”
Korean women’s table tennis team captain Seo Hyo-won (36, Korea Horse Society) has concluded her final Asian Championships.
Seo, ranked 62nd in the world, competed in the women’s singles round of 64 at the 26th International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)-Asia Table Tennis Union (ATTU) Pyeongchang Asian Championships on Sunday afternoon at the Pyeongchang Dome Gymnasium in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, and came up short against world No. 5 Wang Manyu (CHINA), falling 1-3 (4-11 10-12 11-3 11-5).
Seo ended the tournament with one silver medal in the women’s team event.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Seo said, “I’m preparing as if it’s my last as a member of the national team. I want to do well at the Asian Championships in Korea, and I want to win a medal at the Asian Games, where I will compete in the team event as well as the individual singles event,” she said, adding that she was more determined than ever.
In the team event, Seo Hyo-won, who played a key role in the team’s silver medal victory by being the “eldest sister” of the team at every critical juncture, made light work of Pakistan’s Fawad in the singles round of 128, which began the previous day (June 6).
However, she was not so lucky with her draw. She faced a tough Chinese opponent too early. After dropping the first game, Seo showed her defensive prowess in the second game, forcing Wang Manyu into an unforced error to turn the match around.
Unfortunately, they were unable to sustain their momentum and ended the match by dropping the third and fourth games.
“It was unfortunate, but we still practiced a lot on our offense,” Seo Hyo-won told Mixed Zone after the match, adding, “I’m satisfied that we were able to learn what we need to practice next time.”
“First of all, our goal for this tournament was to reach the team final. The players worked together to get there. Unfortunately, we lost to China, but we gained confidence before the Asian Games,” he said. “I won’t be playing, but I will support the remaining players and help them achieve good results.”
Seo, who has captained the national team for nearly a decade, is likely to hang up his tricolor after the Hangzhou Asian Games and has won a total of four medals at Asian Championships with the national team, including silver in the team event at this tournament, bronze in the team event in Pattaya in 2015, bronze in the team event in Wuxi in 2017 and silver in the team event in Doha in 2021.
“This is probably my biggest disappointment. Our players, including myself, practiced a lot and were in good shape, but the Chinese players were much better prepared, so I feel a bit disappointed,” he said, adding, “I will be on the sidelines for the next Asian Championships to support the juniors so that they can win a gold medal.” He wished the juniors well as he announced his retirement from the national team 소닉카지노.
After wrapping up the Asian Championships, Seo will be making her third appearance at the Asian Games after competing in Incheon in 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang in 2018.
“I’m a defensive player, but I knew I had to attack, so I practiced a lot of offense. I had a lot of chances, but I couldn’t score,” she said, adding, “I think if I practice attacking more consistently, it will pay off.”
Although Seo has packed her bags, the women’s team still has important matches to play, including singles and doubles.
“The players are doing so well on their own in terms of mental and technical skills, so I have to make sure that I don’t do any damage. I want to be a silent support from the sidelines.”
Seo Hyo-won has had her fair share of ups and downs, including a number of injuries, but after rehabilitation, she has returned to the national team and led South Korea’s women’s table tennis team to the quarterfinals of the singles event at the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston, USA, last year.