Dubai Para: Korea Take Five Gold

Dubai Para: Korea Take Five Gold
Choi and Kim get the job done.

Korea dominated the wheelchair events at the 4th Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2022, taking gold in five of the seven events played.

Hyun Ah Kwon secured three while Choi Jung Man bagged two. Korea also won two silver and three bronze.

Kwon and Sooyoung Yu got the ball rolling in (WH1-WH2) Wheelchair mixed doubles by defeating teammates Choi and Lee Sung Ae 21-16 12-21 21-17.

Kwon then took on Switzerland’s Cynthia Mathez in WH1 women’s singles final, emerging victorious 21-12 21-19.

Mathez and Kwon faced off again in WH1-WH2 women’s doubles. Kwon’s partnership with Gyeoul Jung proved too strong for the newly-formed pairing of Mathez and Ilaria Renggli, who succumbed 21-14 21-14.

“Cynthia’s strokes are powerful but I’m good at covering the net and tried to avoid mistakes. I was nervous coming into the singles because I already had one gold and kept asking myself if I could win another. When I did, I wasn’t too worried about the mixed doubles. I felt confident,” Kwon said.

Golden girl Kwon.

Jung had to settle for silver in the WH2 women’s singles category when she fell to Yuma Yamazaki 21-12 22-20.

In the men’s final, Japan’s boy wonder Daiki Kajiwara sent Chan Ho Yuen Daniel (Hong Kong China) packing 16-21 21-5 21-19.

“I thought I had found a way past him but it wasn’t to be. In the second game I let go and thought I could get back in the third. It was going smoothly until 14-11. Then I lost focus, gave up two points and I can’t do that with him,” said Chan.

The WH1-WH2 men’s doubles gold went to Korea’s veteran duo of Choi and Kim Jungjun after they defeated Malaysia’s Noor Azwan Noorlan and Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli 21-13 21-12.

From left: Chan, Kajiwara, Kim and Noorlan.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

 

“When I first started, I used to get nervous before every match. Nowadays, my mind is completely focused on the match. Off the court, I like meeting other players and we chat about all kinds of things.” – Choi

 

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