South Korea crashed out of medal contention in men's volleyball at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games on Friday, following an embarrassing, straight-set loss to Pakistan in the first knockout match.
South Korea lost to Pakistan 3-0 (19-25, 22-25, 21-25) at China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium in Shaoxing on the western outskirts of Hangzhou, with Pakistan recording nine blocks and three aces.
For the first time in over six decades, South Korea will not win an Asiad medal in men's volleyball. The country had reached the podium in the sport at every Asiad since 1966, a span of 14 straight competitions. South Korea won gold medals in 1978, 2002 and 2006, and was the runner-up in 2018.
Kim Min-jae (C, in black) of South Korea hits a spike against Pakistan during a knockout match at China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium in Shaoxing on the western outskirts of Hangzhou, China, in the 19th Asian Games on Sept. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)
Kim Min-jae (C, in black) of South Korea hits a spike against Pakistan during a knockout match at China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium in Shaoxing on the western outskirts of Hangzhou, China, in the 19th Asian Games on Sept. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)
The 27th-ranked South Korea was relegated to the classification round for 7th-12th places among losers in the 12-team knockout stage. It will have its next match against Bahrain on Sunday to decide the final ranking at the Asiad.
South Korea will wrap up the Hangzhou Asian Games, which sets sail Saturday for a 16-day run, without a medal after a disappointing first three matches, including the stunning upset by India in its opener Wednesday.
Opposite hitter Heo Su-bong scored a team-high 11 points, including one block and one ace. Wing spiker Na Gyeong-bok earned nine points.
In the first set, South Korea struggled against Pakistan's height from the beginning as it was down 9-5 early on and failed to narrow the gap until the end of the set, which ended 25-19 for Pakistan. Its attackers' effort to overcome the opponent's tall middle blockers ended in vain as their five spikes were shut off by well-executed blocks.
Pakistan middle blockers' quick hits and cross-court shots shook up Korea's defense in the second set. South Korea pulled even at 14-14 on Pakistan's turnovers, but ended up dropping the set 25-22 after failing to cut off Pakistan's assaults.
With South Korea's ace outside hitter Jung Ji-seok, limited in the first two sets due to back pain, returning to the court, the two teams played a tight match in the third set. But the Koreans' attacking errors let Pakistan take a 11-7 lead in the middle of the set and maintain the lead until the end.
South Korea's early exit from Hangzhou had been long anticipated as the team had suffered from worse-than-expected performances in recent international competitions.
At this year's Asian Volleyball Challenger Cup in July, South Korea was upset by 73rd-ranked Bahrain in the semifinals en route to a third place finish, despite the absence of China and Japan. At the 2023 Asian Volleyball Championship last month, South Korea fell to China in the semifinals and ended up in fifth place.
Source: Yonhap News Agency