PETALING JAYA: Two years on from shuttlers Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yu-jung’s stunning triumph in the World Championships, South Korea are struggling to fill the void left by the duo in the mixed doubles.
Seung-jae had decided to fully focus on the men’s doubles with Kim Won-ho with their partnership yielding great success while Yu-jung announced her retirement from the sport last month.
Won-ho also used to play in the mixed doubles with Jeong Na-eun and the pair won silver in the 2024 Paris Olympics but he has followed Seung-jae in competing only in the men’s doubles.
This has left the Korean Badminton Association (KBA) scrambling to look for new talents in mixed doubles.
KBA chief coach Park Joo-bong wants KBA to recruit players capable of specialising in mixed doubles to continue the country’s rich tradition in the event and challenge the likes of China, Thailand and Malaysia.
“We cannot afford to let this situation we have found ourselves in continue or we will be left far behind other countries when it comes to mixed doubles,” said Joo-bong in an interview with South Korean news outlet Naver Sports.
“In Japan also there are many players who don’t wish to play in mixed doubles. For us, we have identified a few potential players from our junior squad and we are trying to develop them in the event.”
Joo-bong was Japan’s head coach for 20 years before ending his long tenure in March and joining KBA in April.
Joo-bong’s work to turn around the fortunes of Korea’s mixed doubles has started to yield some results when Na-eun and new partner Kim Jae-hyeon captured the Korean Masters title in Iksan recently.
It was the duo’s maiden World Tour title and a promising start to their partnership.
Joo-bong will be hoping for more from the pair and for others to step up as well.
