KOREA GPG 2011 Finals –2 for Jang and 2 for Yoo!

Korea struck it rich with 5 gold medals going straight to the pocket of the host nation.  Doubles specialist Yeon Seong Yoo took home 2, as did his mixed partner Jang Ye Na.

By Emzi Regala, Badzine Correspondent.  Photos: Don Hearn for Badzine

Yoo’s afternoon of speculating came in the opener men’s doubles match with partner Ko Sung Hyun.  Both pairs high up in the world rankings, world#2 Jung Jae Sung / Lee Yong Dae are only two notches up against Ko Sung Hyun / Yoo Yeon Seong who are currently ranked 4th.

Hwasun native Yong Dae however, failed to capitalize on his home court advantage when he and partner Jung Jae Sung surrendered the men’s doubles gold to the second seeds Ko/Yoo in two straight sets, 15-21 and 22-24 respectively.

The longest match of the day took 55 minutes where Sung Ji Hyun (pictured) secured the women’s singles title by winning over unseeded Han Li of China 21-18 21-16, in much more convincing fashion than her 3-game semi-finals the previous day where she took 82 minutes court-time against defending champion Liu Xin.

Jang Ye Na also took home 2 titles for herself, beginning with her partnership with Eom Hye Won (pictured).  The Universiade women’s doubles gold medallists, who only have only points from 6 BWF tournaments in the last year, leapt up 18 spots in the world rankings after forfeiting last week’s Macau Open final to their compatriots.

They should clamber up at least 10 more rungs in the world ladder as they brought the 3rd Korean gold when they got the better of Singapore’s Shinta Mulia Sari / Yao Lei.  Although the Singaporeans are still much higher in both world rankings and seedings, they couldn’t do much to appease the Korean lady shuttlers, who went out to prove that sometimes rankings are just stats. Shinta Mulia Sari / Yao Lei bowed out in two games 21-15, 21-16. This win sealed the sweep for Korea as the Singaporeans were the last nation standing in its way.

As expected, Lee Hyun Il triumphed over his opponent Shon Wan Ho in another all-Korean final, in the men’s singles division.  Lee needed 43 minutes and 2 games in his conquest of Shon to take home the 4^th gold medal of the tournament.

There would have been no better way to end the tournament for mixed doubles partners Yoo Yeon Seong and Jang Ye Na.  The two already captured championship laurels separately in their doubles finals appearance earlier in the day.  The freshly crowned champions wasted no time as they defeated their compatriots Kim Ki Jung / Jung Kyung Eun, 21-17, 21-19 in only 35 minutes.

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