South Korean badminton ace Seo Seung-jae sets his sights on two Olympic gold medals
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South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae, seen here competing in the the KFF Singapore Badminton Open men's doubles quarter-finals on May 31, is eyeing a double at the Paris Olympics.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
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SINGAPORE – The Danish city of Copenhagen witnessed a South Korean fairy tale in 2023, when Seo Seung-jae achieved the feat of clinching badminton world titles in both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles.
The 26-year-old is hoping that his winning narrative will get an encore at the July 26-Aug 11 Olympics in Paris, where he is eyeing the rare distinction of bagging two badminton gold medals at the same Games.
The reigning Badminton World Federation (BWF) Male Player of the Year, who competes in the men’s doubles with Kang Min-hyuk and mixed doubles with Chae Yu-jung, told The Straits Times via an interpreter at the KFF Singapore Open: “I definitely want a gold in both events.
“However, as you know, it’s not an easy tournament, the Olympics are a very big one and definitely there won’t be easy matches.”
Seo got a taste of what to expect in the French capital when he and Kang, who are ranked world No. 3, lost 21-19, 21-15 to Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the men’s doubles quarter-finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 31.
After a bright start, the Koreans allowed an 11-6 lead to slip as their world No. 6 rivals clawed their way back to claim the first game.
Stepping on the pedal, Hoki and Kobayashi led all the way in the second game to seal their semi-final spot against China’s 10th-ranked He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu.
But Seo will still feature in the June 1 semi-finals. He had advanced to the last four with mixed doubles partner Chae by defeating Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 21-14, 21-18 earlier on May 31.
Seo Seung-jae (left) and Chae Yu-jung during their mixed doubles semi-final match at the Badminton Asia Championships.
PHOTO: AFP
On having to play two matches in one day, Seo said: “For the mixed doubles I think I prepared well. I played it earlier today, so I was a bit low in stamina, I think it affected today’s results in the men’s doubles.”
While his mixed doubles partner Chae is left-handed and his men’s doubles partner Kang is right-handed, Seo does not see an issue with this.
The southpaw said: “We’ve played together for quite a long time already. So we know how to play with each other.”
To reach the final, Seo and Chae will have to overcome China’s top-ranked pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
While Zheng and Huang hold a superior 15-3 head-to-head record, the Koreans had upset the three-time world champions in the Copenhagen final last August and also won their most recent encounter in the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships in April.
“The opponents are also very good players, we’ve played them many times already,” said Seo. “We just have to prepare well, we just have to focus on our own playing style and our own playing strategy.”
He can also count on his supporters among the crowd.
Seo added: “I’m definitely thankful for all the cheers that I hear every time I come to Singapore, and also I think the stadium is quite a good stadium. So I enjoy playing here.”
With his sole title in 2024 coming from a men’s doubles victory with Kang in January’s India Open, Seo will be hoping to build a winning momentum less than two months to the Paris Games.
“I just want to prepare well before the Olympics, so I just want to focus on each game and match as it comes,” he added.
