According to the Korea Table Tennis Association on the 6th, Yoo Ji-rin finished second in the women’s singles under the age of 15 at the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Youth Championship held in Novagoritsa, Slovenia until the 4th (Korea time).
They beat Germany and Algeria in the round of 32 and 16 before beating Asian powerhouses in a row in the following rankings. They beat China’s Ding Yue 4-1 (11-6 11-4 7-11 11-8 11-8 11-8) in the quarterfinals and Taiwan’s Wu Ziaen in the semifinals by 4-2 (8-11 11-7 11-7 9-11-9 11-7) in the semifinals.
Yoo lost to Japanese ace Yuna Ojio 0-4 (8-117-111 5-111 2-11) in the final. Yuna Ojio is the champion who won not only individual doubles but also individual doubles, mixed doubles and team doubles in the under-15 event.
The association explained, “For Yoo Ji-rin, it is a meaningful propaganda to break down the candidates and show promise by fighting hard until the beginning of the final,” adding, “We lost the final match, but we were the only Korean players in this tournament to play until the end in the individual singles.”
His father Yoo is a legendary player who won gold medals in men’s singles at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympics. After starting table tennis at the age of eight, Yoo has distinguished himself and is drawing attention as the next new guest of honor. Born in 2008, Yoo ranked the national team by beating older players than him at the selection match for the national team last year. He beat Aoki Sachi of Japan in the final of the women’s singles under the age of 15 at the 2022 World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Condender Berlin.
Other than Yoo Ji-rin, no other players won the singles in this tournament. For those under 19, Oh Joon-sung (Mirae Asset Securities) and Park Ga-hyeon (Korean Air) made it to the quarterfinals. Oh defeated her Japanese rival Matsushima Sora in the round of 16, but lost to Lin Shidong (China), the winner of this year’s event. Park, who advanced to the quarterfinals by beating European players, lost to Elena Zaharia of Romania, the runner-up of this year’s event. 에볼루션 바카라사이트
In men’s singles under the age of 15, Lee Seung-soo (Dongmun Elementary School in Daejeon) performed well. Lee advanced to the quarterfinals by beating the U.S. and Indian ambush teams. In the quarterfinals, he lost to China’s Wang Jishuan 0-4 (5-11, 6-11, 2-11, 9-11). In doubles, he reached the semifinals in four events and won four bronze medals.
The Under-19 Men’s Oh Joon-sung and Gil Min-seok, and the Under-19 Women’s Park Ga-hyeon and Lee Da-eun defeated European players to advance to the semifinals. In the Under-19 Men’s Doubles, the Oh Joon-sung and Lee Da-eun group also advanced to the semifinals. In the Under-15 Men’s Doubles, the Kwon Hyuk and Lee Seung-soo groups advanced to the semifinals.