The taekwondo competition mixed team event, which was held for the first time at the Hangzhou Asian Games, was an event that South Korea was hoping to win.
However, the gold medal went to the host nation of China.
In the final on Friday afternoon at the Lin’an Sports and Cultural Exhibition Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, the Korean team of Park Woo-hyuk, Seo Gun-woo (Korea Gymnastics Team) and Lee Da-bin and Kim Jandi (Samsung S-one) lost to the Chinese team of Chu Yi-yang, Song Zhaoxiang, Song Zhe and Zhou Zhiqi by a combined score of 77-84 after three rounds.
Down 70-77 with 1:19 left in the game, the Korean team made a last-ditch effort to pull off the upset.
With the score at 77-79 with 15 seconds left in the game, they made a last-ditch effort by aggressively attacking the head, but were unable to turn the game around and lost by seven points.
The Chinese crowd, who cheered the entire time and gave their athletes a boost, erupted in cheers at the end of the match, celebrating their victory over Korea.
Park Woo-hyuk, who met with reporters in the joint press area after the game, said he realized the power of China’s “home advantage.
“The players prepared a lot, and they were very eager. “They prepared a lot, and they were very eager, and we were also expecting a lot,” he said. “We were very greedy for first place, and I don’t know if I should say this, but I don’t think we lost the game.
“There were a lot of calls that we felt weren’t quite right, and we’re very disappointed with that,” he added.
The players, who held their heads in their hands in disbelief after the silver medal was confirmed, laughed off the pain during the awards ceremony.
Park Woo-hyuk said, “It’s because we were so down. I would have been depressed if we lost with our skills, but that’s not the case,” Park said, adding, “I hit really hard. I was caught and hit, but they didn’t deduct any points, and I think we lost unfairly when I see such scenes.”
“I know all the players, I know all the referees, and I know all the referees, but it shouldn’t be like this on such a big stage. Honestly, I’m very disappointed about that,” he emphasized.
He added, “The Chinese women’s standing players held a lot. When our teachers raise the flag, we have to change the players immediately, but the Chinese side raised the flag first, so they changed all the players,” he said, adding, “I remember that part vividly, even in the midst of the chaos.”
In the mixed team event, four players – two men and two women – competed in a one-on-one format.
The first round lasted four minutes and the second and third rounds lasted three minutes. In the first round, the four players swapped for one minute each, and in the second and third rounds, players could switch as often as they wanted by raising a flag from the bench. Athletes must be of the same gender.
Watching from the sidelines, men’s 58kg gold medalist Jang Jun (Korea Gas Corporation) said, “First of all, the Chinese athletes grabbed a lot. It was disappointing that we were deducted points as soon as we caught, while the Chinese were able to catch and score points.”
Idabin, who won gold in the women’s individual event at the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, was also disappointed in the post-match press conference.
“I’m happy to have won a glorious silver medal after working so hard,” she said, “but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.”
“I know the athletes will work hard in the remaining individual events,” he added.
Asked if the loud and hostile support from the Chinese crowd affected their performance, Idabin said, “The four athletes did their best. It didn’t affect me personally,” he said simply.
He did, however, admit that the Chinese players made it difficult for him as he lost control of the game.
Cheered on by their home fans, the Chinese players began to attack boldly and aggressively in the second round, and it soon became a game of catch-up for the outnumbered team.
In fact, they came back several times in the third round, but it wasn’t enough.
“We lost the flow of the game, the initiative,” said Idabin. We were lacking in terms of flow, and it was a close game,” said Idabin, “but we thought we could win. All four players did their best,” he emphasized. 파워볼게임