They endured even as her thigh muscle tightened: Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na forge a women's doubles gold medal after 24 years through sheer grit [On the ground in Ichinomiya]

*This content was translated by AI.

The world No. 2 women's doubles pair of Lee So-hee (32) and Baek Ha-na (26), both representing Incheon International Airport, combined to win the Asian Games women's doubles gold medal for the first time in 24 years. Their grit in enduring a situation where her thigh muscle tightened during the decisive third game ultimately led to the precious gold medal result.

The Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na pair secured the top spot by achieving a comeback victory with a score of 2-1 (26-28, 21-18, 21-18) against the world No. 1 pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning (China) in the women's doubles final of badminton at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, held on the 29th at Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. This is the first time a Korean women's doubles pair has won an Asian Games gold medal since the Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won pair at the Busan Games in 2002.

They once again overcame the wall of the "world No. 1" Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning, who had been so dominant as to suffer five consecutive losses against them. The Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na pair broke the streak of five consecutive losses and defeated the Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning pair at the World Championships at the end of last year. And by securing a thrilling comeback victory on this day, they won the precious gold medal. In their head-to-head record against the Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning pair, they have now taken a 2-0 lead after five consecutive losses.

As the score indicates, it was not an easy match. A fierce battle with repeated deuces unfolded from the first game. Befitting a showdown between the world No. 1 and No. 2 pairs, plays that drew successive cheers from the stands continued. The close contest, characterized by selfless play and repeated comebacks, persisted throughout the match. Neither side let a single mistake slip by.

Although they unfortunately lost the first game, the Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na pair did not waver. Maintaining their focus, they immediately targeted the opponent's weaknesses. By taking the second game right away, they leveled the game score. Due to the extremely close nature of the contest, the final third game essentially became a battle of mental strength.

A variable emerged. During the match, Lee So-hee touched the back of her right thigh and complained of pain. It was inevitable that this would affect her play. Given that the opponent was the world No. 1 and the match had been intense throughout, it was an unexpected setback. However, Lee So-hee endured the pain and kept running. She actually threw her body more to block the opponent's attacks. Baek Ha-na also matched her rhythm and fought fiercely alongside her.

Toward the end of the match, conversely, Liu Shengshu and other opposing players also complained of leg pain. That momentum ultimately became a variable. In the closing stages, Korea maintained its focus and scored consecutive points to finish the match. The moment China's final attack went out of bounds, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na collapsed onto the court without even being able to express their joy. It was truly a golden result forged through grit.

Immediately after the match, Baek Ha-na performed a celebration by carrying Lee So-hee on her back. She said, "It was an incredibly tough match. I thought we would have had no chance if we hadn't weathered the critical moment in the second set. The fact that my sister squeezed out her last bit of strength to hit and ran a lot became the driving force behind our victory," adding, "I had said that when we win at such a big tournament, I would carry my sister on my back once. So I did the celebration of carrying her."

Lee So-hee stated, "The muscle in the back of my thigh tightened up. I ran while enduring it as much as possible, but it seems the opposing players' muscles tightened up even more severely later," and continued, "I feel good about the fact that we are breaking records one by one in women's doubles. I think we played a 120-point match today," smiling.

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*This content was translated by AI.