PARIS — South Korean badminton players Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung narrowly missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics, finishing fourth in the mixed doubles event. The pair, ranked second in the world and reigning 2023 world champions, lost to Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino in the bronze medal match at La Chapelle Arena on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Seo and Chae faced a tough battle against the Japanese duo, losing in two straight games, 21-13 and 22-20. This defeat came less than 24 hours after they lost to their South Korean teammates, Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun, in the semifinals. The early rounds of the first game saw Seo and Chae take a brief lead, but Watanabe and Higashino quickly turned the tables, securing five consecutive points to shift the momentum in their favor.
The second game proved to be a tighter contest, with the lead changing hands multiple times. Despite a strong effort from Seo and Chae, who evened the score at 20-20, the Japanese pair managed to secure the final two points needed to clinch the bronze medal. This marks another Olympic disappointment for Seo and Chae, who also fell short in the quarterfinals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Seo, who also competed in the men's doubles in Paris, expressed his disappointment but acknowledged the effort and progress since Tokyo. "We worked really hard over the past three years after Tokyo, but I think it's just our fate that we could only come this far," he said after the match. Chae, contemplating retirement, shared her sentiments on potentially ending her Olympic journey without a medal. "I had such a good year last year, winning some big titles, and I really wanted to do well here," she reflected.
Despite the setback, Seo and Chae's performance in Paris has been a testament to their skill and determination, even as they leave without a medal.