No Medals for South Korea on Day 10 of Rio Olympics
On the 10th day of the 2016 Rio Olympics, South Korea has failed to win any medals due to shocking and unexpected defeats by some of its key athletes.
On Monday, the top-ranked duo of Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong failed to advance to the semis of the badminton men's doubles after their loss in the quarterfinals to Malaysia's Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong, both ranked 12th with the score of 2-1. The quarterfinals were held at the Pavilion 4 of Riocentro, an exhibition, and convention center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lee and Yoo had a good start at the beginning of their match against the Malaysians, winning the first set by a score of 21-17. However, they lost the following two sets, bidding goodbye to a spot in the semis and the sought after gold medal in badminton men's double. South Korea last won gold in badminton at the 2008 Beijing Olympics courtesy of Lee and Lee Hyo Jung.
KBS World Radio also reported that another badminton men's double team from South Korea, Kim Sa Rang and Kim Gi Jung, lost against China's Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan with a set score of 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
In the women's doubles, the South Korean teams had mixed results. Jung Kyung Eun and Shin Seung Chan advanced to the semis with a win against Eefje Muskens and Selena Peik of the Netherlands by a set score of 2-1, while Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee were defeated by the team of Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark.
In men's singles, Son Wan Ho defeated Angus Ng of Hong Kong, 2-0, and qualified for a semifinals spot where he will be up against China's Chen Long.
Sung Ji Hyun beat Linda Zetchiri of Bulgaria by a set score of 2-0, and will play a match against the top-seed Carolina Marin of Spain in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, South Korean track and field athlete Kim Deok Hyeon was not able to make it to the finals in the men's triple jump by finishing 27th place among 48 contenders.
South Korea remains in the 10th place in the medal standings with six gold, three silver, and five bronze medals.
