Kim and Kong’s spectacular victory at this 12 months’s All England received them a complete lot of recent followers. Having witnessed their performances for 3 days in a row I used to be enthralled by the dynamic power they dropped at the sector and their sheer will to win.
Earlier than the pandemic they had been acknowledged by the BWF as 2019’s Most Improved Gamers. Since then, they’ve been steadily constructing their popularity as among the best pairs on this planet with out at all times dominating their sector. Nonetheless, they received the 2021 World Tour Finals and bought Silver on the 2022 World Championships.
Since watching their magnificent quarter remaining towards the highest seeds – CHEN/JIA – I’ve turn out to be a eager fan of their model of WD. I didn’t have excessive expectations for the sixth seeds going into the sport. Although they competed properly within the first set they in the end misplaced it 21-19 and located themselves in a 0-5 gap within the second. They appeared down and out. But in a rare sequence they defied the Chinese language duo, summoned up their self-belief and began to shift the momentum of the sport of their favour.
Each Gill Clark and Steen Schleicher famous KONG’s backhand and web play have been upgraded within the final 12 months. She was taking part in photographs with loads of ambition, not solely within the entrance court docket but additionally exploiting areas that appeared on the again with confidence and precision. This had a huge impact on the progress of the competition (and the next two matches) as a result of it opened up extra possibilities to assault. On the sixth match level within the third set the Korean pair lastly secured their win. In my opinion, it was the standout tie of the event.
They carried this profitable angle proper via the remainder of the competitors. Within the semi-final ZHANG/ZHENG had been overwhelmed in straight units on the fourth match level. Within the remaining they fully overwhelmed their compatriots BAEK/LEE to turn out to be the All England Champions 2023.
KIM and KONG have already got an Olympic Bronze, making it tempting to think about their possibilities on the upcoming Paris Olympics for a shot at Gold. With a nimble strategy to techniques, resilience, and a willpower to win they’ll plan for a deep dive into the Olympic draw. Undoubtedly, they’re robust contenders, and it will likely be thrilling to see how their journey unfolds in direction of the 2024 Olympics.
Should you loved this check out BadmintonBites piece about KIM/KONG https://badmintonbites.com/kim-so-yeong-and-kong-hee-yong-one-of-badmintons-fastest-rising-pairs/
This hyperlink will take you to my latest article about AN Se Younger https://womensbadminton.co.uk/2023/03/03/an-se-young/
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