Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun of South Korea reached the final of the mixed doubles badminton event at the Paris Olympics on Thursday after beating their compatriots Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung in the semifinals.
Kim and Jeong prevailed 2-1 (21-16, 20-22, 23-21) over the 2023 world championship-winning pair in a thrilling showdown at La Chapelle Arena in the French capital.
This was their first victory over Seo and Chae in six meetings.
Both the bronze medal match and the final will be Friday.
Kim and Jeong, ranked eighth in the world, will face world No. 1 from China, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong. The South Koreans had lost to the same Chinese team by 2-0 (21-13, 21-14) in a group stage match on Monday.
Seo and Chae, world No. 2, will meet fifth ranked 한국을 Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan.
South Korea’s last Olympic medal in the mixed doubles came in 2008, when Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung won gold.
With Seo having played in the men’s doubles quarterfinals earlier Thursday, Kim and Jeong came out aggressive in the first game. Down 5-4, Kim and Jeong grabbed four straight points to swing the momentum. Seo and Chae tried to fight back in the later stages but Kim closed out the game at 21-16 with a forehand winner.
The teams went back and forth in the middle game, with Kim targeting Chae with smashes to give his team an 8-6 lead. Seo and Chae responded with four consecutive points, though Kim and Jeong later pulled into a 15-15 tie.