Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin captured the bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, giving South Korea its first table tennis medal in 12 years.

Lim and Shin defeated Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong 4-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12) at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris. Both players earned their first career Olympic medals.

Lim and Shin had fallen to the bronze medal match after losing to the top-seeded pair from China, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, in the semifinals on Monday.

With the bronze medal on the line, Lim and Shin made quick work of the Hong Kong team in the first game, grabbing the first six points en route to an 11-5 win.

The second game was a bit tighter but the South Koreans still prevailed 11-7 in seven minutes.

The teams were tied at 4-4 in the third game before South Korea scored three straight points. Later on, Lim’s strong forehand gave South Korea a 9-6 lead, and Lim and Shin closed out the game at 11-7.

They built a 4-0 lead to begin
the fourth game but Wong and Doo started pushing back.

The Hong Kong team grabbed a lead at 8-7 when Shin’s backhand went long, and moved to a game point at 10-8 with Wong’s forehand winner.

But then the South Koreans fought back with two straight points. The teams went back and forth until Wong’s long return set up a second bronze medal point for South Korea. South Korea then sealed the deal when Wong sent his return well off the table.

In the final held later Tuesday, Wang and Sun defeated Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong of North Korea 4-2 (11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8) for the gold medal.

Ri and Kim opened the tournament by upsetting the No. 2 seed from Japan, Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata, in the round of 16. They ran into the mighty Chinese tandem but still captured North Korea’s first medal of the Paris Olympics.

This is North Korea’s first Summer Games appearance since 2016. The reclusive state skipped the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, citing COVID-19 concerns.

Source: Yonhap News Agency