Jayce
A year ago, Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yu Jung reached the pinnacle of their careers, winning the World Championships title. Additionally, Seo Seung Jae claimed a second gold medal in the men’s doubles with partner Kang Min Hyuk.
On Friday, the Korean World Champions felt the agony of exiting the Olympics without a medal as they lost the bronze medal match to Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.
While Seo tried to stay brave, Chae couldn’t hold back her tears, struggling to accept that this was her and her partner’s final match together.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed with the result,” said the senior partner, Chae, who took responsibility for the loss. “We weren’t in our best condition before the match, but I believe athletes need to cope with that, so it’s not an excuse. This was my last match with Seung Jae, and I wanted to achieve a good result, so it’s disappointing for me. I feel very sad because it’s my last match. I wanted to lead because I’m older and more experienced, but I think I didn’t fulfill my role, and I’m sad about that.”
The World Champions were unexpectedly defeated in the semifinals by a pair they had never lost to in five previous matches — their young compatriots, Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun. The 77-minute loss took a significant physical and mental toll, as the World Champions struggled to maintain their footing in the bronze medal match.
“It’s hard to say we weren’t affected by the previous match because it was a tough game, but we gave it our all, so in that sense, we’re satisfied with our performance and the energy we showed,” Seo Hyun Hee said.
“We didn’t carry the disappointment of the semifinals into the last match; we just tried to focus on playing each point well. Obviously, we were tired, but we still tried to play each point well.
“We gave everything; I did my best, so I’m satisfied with my effort.”
