*This content was translated by AI.
Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) and Shin Yoo-bin (Korean Air) also won the first overall championship in 2026 held in Korea, proving their recent rise.
Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin defeated Cho Seung-min and Joo Chun-hee of Samsung Life Insurance 3-1 (11-2, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9) in the mixed doubles final of the 79th Korean Air National Men's and Women's Table Tennis Championships held at Jecheon Gymnasium in Chungcheongbuk-do on the 26th.
The final challenge of Im Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, who came to the finals without shutdown, was also not easy. Cho Seung-min of the left hand and Joo Chun-hee of the right hand were the defending champions who won the previous all-around championship, where they worked together for the first time. As a result, many experts predicted the dominance of the Cho Seung-min and Joo Chun-hee groups. This is because Jo Seung-min, who holds the record for the most wins in mixed doubles (4 times), and Joo Chun-hee, who is not afraid of the ball of the male player, were so overwhelmed.
However, Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin, who won the World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals last year, were also strong. Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin, who made their first appearance on the domestic stage through this competition, took the lead in the middle of the game with Lim Jong-hoon's sharp backhand flick and Shin Yoo-bin's defense. Rather, from the third game, the decision-making power of the female players led to the flow that determined the game. A tight rally continued based on the stable defense of Lim Jong-hoon and Cho Seung-min. And the winner eventually became Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, who succeeded in a little more hemisphere.
Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin are the world's top mixed doubles pair ranked second in the mixed doubles world. In the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the 2025 Doha World Championships, he reached the semifinals in a row and won the bronze medal. In the WTT Contender Series, he recorded eight wins. In particular, in December last year, he beat two Chinese groups in a row to win the Final, which settled the year of the WTT.
In this competition, which was the first domestic stage to participate in, he was listed as the most prestigious overall championship title with his unrivaled performance.
Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin said in an interview shortly after winning, "My partner was good, so I was able to win the championship. Thank you for your support. Since domestic players are so good at doubles, they had to prepare a lot. In fact, there are not many opportunities to work together, but it was good to play such a good game in Korea. As there are still team events, we will do our best in the remaining games," he said, giving credit to each other.
Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin's teams, the Korea Exchange and Korean Air, are in the final of the team event. The women's team event, in which Shin Yu-bin will participate, will be the last match of the day, and Lim Jong-hoon's men's team final will be the last match on the 27th, the final day of the competition.
Meanwhile, in the men's and women's individual doubles final, which was first held in the morning game, men's Woo Hyung-kyu and Choi Ji-wook's group (Korea Racing Authority) and women's Joo Chun-hee and Kim Sung-jin's group (Samsung Life Insurance) won and won, respectively. In both the men's and women's finals, the winning group was determined after a fierce full-game match.
Woo Hyung-kyu and Choi Ji-wook defeated the Korea Exchange's Lim Jong-hoon and Ahn Jae-hyun 3-2 (6-11, 13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9). Ahn Jae-hyun showed his fighting spirit despite his hamstring injury, but Woo Hyung-kyu and Choi Ji-wook's group were strong to win their first championship on the new team. Woo Hyung-kyu moved from Mirae Asset Securities to Masoe this season. Choi Ji-wook is also a rookie who graduated from Daejeung High School and joined the horse society this season. Woo Hyung-kyu marked his second individual title in the all-around after winning the singles in the 76th event.
Joo Chun-hee and Kim Sung-jin defeated Lee Da-eun and Lee Chae-yeon of the Korean Racing Authority 3-2 (11-13, 11-5, 11-5, 6-11, 11-2). Joo Chun-hee and Kim Sung-jin have won two consecutive women's doubles following the previous year's competition. Joo Chun-hee was unfortunately runner-up in the mixed doubles final that followed, but she soothed her disappointment by winning the women's doubles back-to-back. Joo Chun-hee, who also advanced to the women's singles final, aims for two gold medals in the final to be held on the last day.
The All-round Table Tennis Championships are the most prestigious championships in Korea that settle Korean table tennis for a year. This competition, which is the stage for settlement of accounts in 2025, is currently continuing the competition to win each event. Following each doubles event, the men's singles and women's team finals will conclude on the 26th. On the 27th, the last day, the women's singles and men's team finals will end. MBC SPORTS+ broadcasts major games, and you can watch the game in real time through the official YouTube channel (KTA TV) of the Korea Table Tennis Association.
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*This content was translated by AI.
