Badminton doubles duo hoping good history vs. Japan will net Olympic gold

Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong have made a career out of beating Japanese rivals in international women's badminton doubles competitions.

And they'd love to have another shot at beating a Japanese tandem for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Kim and Kong are ranked fifth in the world in women's doubles. South Korea also boasts the No. 4-ranked women's doubles team in Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan. Of all badminton disciplines at the Olympics, South Korea should have its best chance of reaching the podium in the women's doubles.

And it's not just thanks to the ranking positions for these two teams. Kim and Kong in particular have been strong against Japanese players.

In 2019 alone, Kim and Kong defeated three different Japanese tandems to win a Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour event, including the Japan Open title over world No. 2 Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara.

Kim and Kong became the first South Korean women's doubles team to win the Japan Open in 15 years.

"It would have been great if that title turned into an Olympic gold," Kim, 28, said in a recent phone interview with Yonhap News Agency. "But it's always nice to hear people tell us that we play well against Japan."

The one-year postponement of the Olympics, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, altered the international badminton landscape. The Japanese star Misaki Matsumoto, who won the 2016 Olympic gold with Ayaka Takahashi, retired last summer. Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota emerged as the new world No. 1 pair, and Kim and Kong have struggled against them, with a 1-4 head-to-head record.

The South Koreans, on the other hand, have a 4-3 mark against Mayu Matsumoto and Nagahara. Any path to the podium in Tokyo will likely go through at least one of those two Japanese teams.

"Fukushima and Hirota are so tough to play. We've had a full-set battle against them," Kim said. "Fukushima covers a lot of ground for her partner."

As for the Matsumoto-Nagahara team, Kim said, "We have more confidence against them than the No. 1 duo."

Kong, 24, said it doesn't matter whom her team will play.

"We're just going to play our game," Kong said. "We want to be aggressive."

Kim and Kong teamed up in January 2019, and they were named the Most Improved Players by the BWF that same season. Both players attributed their quick success to their ability to communicate and stay on the same page.

"We don't have to say much. We can tell how the other is feeling just by looking at each other's eyes," Kong said. "I am not much of a talker, but when I sense that So-yeong is getting nervous, I make sure to talk to her."

Kim said she does more of the talking between the two, and that Kong is a good listener. Quiet as she may be, Kong is the more aggressive player on the court.

"I try to set up opportunities for Hee-yong to attack with her strength," Kim added.

Kim acknowledged it has been challenging to stay sharp over the past year following the postponement of the Olympics. Many other international tournaments were canceled as well, leaving Kim and Kong with precious few events to play in the leadup to the Olympics. They competed in three tournaments in Thailand in January and have since been working out in South Korea, getting in practice matches against men's doubles teams.

"My mindset is that I'll just do everything I can within the time frame that I have," she said.

Kong revealed that Kim is viewing Tokyo as her last Olympics and said she will compete with the same sense of urgency, as if this too will be her last shot.

"Obviously, the goal is to win a gold medal," Kong said.

The women's doubles was added to Olympic badminton in 1992, and Chung So-young and Hwang Hye-young won the inaugural gold that year in Barcelona. China and Japan have combined for the next six gold medals. (Yonhap)