China's gold medallists (C) Zheng Siwei and Huang Ya Qiong, South Korea's silver medallists (L) Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun, and Japan's bronze medallists (R) Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino pose for a selfie picture on the podium at the mixed doubles badminton medal ceremony. - AFP
PARIS: South Korean mixed doubles pair Jeong Na-eun and Kim Won-ho both found themselves thinking about their mothers after winning a silver medal in the badminton at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
Na-eun, 24, lost her mother during the Covid-19 pandemic, and was visibly emotional after being defeated in the gold-medal match, saying: "My mum had saved my number on her phone as 'my Olympian Na-eun'.
"I feel bad I wasn't able to keep my promise to her and win gold but I am sure my mother is watching from heaven and supporting me."
Won-ho's mother is former Olympic champion Gil Yeong-ah, who won a mixed doubles gold and a women's doubles silver at the Atlanta 1996 Games, plus a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
"When I was young, I looked up to my mum and wanted to be an Olympian myself - of course I felt pressure," Won-ho said after he and Na-eun, the world's number eight pair, were trounced 21-8 21-11 by favourites Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong of China at the Adidas Arena in Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
"But the Chinese players were better. I felt a lot of things, learned a lot of things and next time I'll be able to play better," he added.
With Friday's loss, all of South Korea's Olympic title hopes in badminton now rest on the shoulders of women's singles world number one An Se-young.
Se-young plays Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the singles quarter-finals on Saturday. - Reuters
