[Badminton] Korea Sweeps All 5 Golds at German Open

Korea achieved a first yesterday by sweeping all five gold medals at the Yonex German Open Badminton Championships in Germany.

Lee Hyeon-il (Gimcheon City Hall), once called a player of misfortune, won the men’s singles title and Jeon Jae-yeon (Edutopia) the women’s.

Ranked 13th in the world, Lee, who left the national team last year, defeated Sho Sasaki of Japan, 2-0, in just 32 minutes.

In January, Lee had rallied to beat world champion Lin Dan of China, 2-1, in the finals of the Korean Open. At the beginning of this year, Lee’s participation in the Beijing Summer Olympics was in question due to his low world rank of 28th, but his victory at the German Open should raise him to the top ten.

Jeon Jae-yeon was a promising player whose world rank dropped to around 200th after she suffered a serious knee injury two years ago.

She produced better results from last year, however, to reach the 11th spot. At the German Open, she defeated 38th-ranked Wang Yihan of China, 2-0 in the final.

Lee Hyo-jung (Samsung Electronics) won two golds in Germany as a member of the mixed doubles team with Lee Yong-dae and with Lee Kyung-won in women’s doubles.

In men’s doubles, Lee Jae-jin (Miryang City Hall) and Hwang Ji-man (Gangnam Ward) gained victory over compatriots Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae (Samsung Electronics), 2-1.

Team coach Kim Joong-soo said, “We feel more confident with the Olympics only a few months away, and the good results in singles and doubles are very meaningful.”

The team will compete in the All-England Championship starting Tuesday.

kjs0123@donga.com