"It's an unforgettable moment when I deeply felt the charm of table tennis. I root for Lee Sang-soo to win the championship."
'Legend Lion King' Lee Dong-gook delivered his first impression of table tennis intuition in his life. On the afternoon of the 6th, a welcome face was seen at the semi-finals of the men's singles of Incheon World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Incheon, 「Dakgong」Lee Sang-soo (35, Samsung Life Insurance, 45th in the world) and"Taiwan Ace"Lin Yoon-ju (24, 14th in the world). Lee Dong-gook, an icon of Korean soccer legend and Jeonbuk Hyundai 'Dakgong', appeared in the first row of the stands with Yoo Seung Min, the president of the Korea Sports Council. Lee Dong-gook personally hosted the 'Coin Toss' to determine the sub-right of the semifinal, wishing Lee Sang-soo well. In front of the seniors who retired at the age of 41, the 35-year-old or older's 'Dakgong' began. Lee Sang-soo gave up the first game, but later overwhelmed Lin Yun-joo with his unique fierce attack and fighting spirit, winning the game score 4-2. After writing the history of going to the final of the WTT Champions for the first time by a Korean player, he exchanged high-fives with Chairman Yoo Seung Min, Legend Lee Dong-guk, President of the Korea Table Tennis Association Lee Tae-sung, Talidakum CEO Chae Moon-sun, Vice Chairman Hyun Jung-hwa, Vice Chairman Yoo Nam-kyu, and Jincheon National Training Center President Kim Taek-soo.
Lee Dong-gook and Sung-hyuk and Sung-Seong-i's father are parents of soccer sons, Lee Yoo Seung Min. After establishing a relationship through an entertainment program, the family has continued to have a close relationship with Korea's representative sports legend and 'football parents'. Chairman Yoo invited Lee Dong-gook to the semifinals of the WTT Champions near Songdo, Incheon, and Lee Sang-soo was named in the semifinals, and the intuition of 'Dakgong' was achieved in front of 'Dakgong' on the day.
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| Photo by Ahn Sung-ho, a late reporter at the monthly tabletop |
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Lee Sang-soo, who reached the final with the support of Lee Dong-gook, Na Dong-joong, and Samsung Life Insurance's senior Yoo Seung Min, shook hands with Chairman Yoo after the game. The chairman took care of me a lot as a junior player. You still say a lot of good things. When I was a member of the IOC at the 2016 Rio Olympics, I was participating in the national team and watched the president's election on the spot. I felt that I had to do that to achieve something well until the end, and I respect him a lot as an athlete and a person who always leads by example" expressed his heart. About meeting with Lee Dong-guk "Dakgong Senior "I met him for the first time today. I didn't care because I don't think about anything else before the game. It would be amazing to see you again now. Thank you for your support" expressed his feelings. "I'm so glad that I was able to show you an interesting game with the chairman and seniors watching." I promise that we'll show you the rest of the game, the final, a really fun game, a great game."
Lee Dong-gook also "It was a very meaningful experience to have my first in-person experience at the international table tennis competition in Korea."," he said, expressing his proud thoughts. `I realized once again that all sports can be attractive only when I go there in person,' he said. `I watched the game without knowing the passage of time because I was immersed in the dynamic and tense play throughout the game," he said of his first table tennis experience. "I hope Lee Sang-soo wins the final this evening, too." I'll cheer for you until the end." "It was an unforgettable moment to deeply feel the charm of table tennis once again," he added.
Chairman Yoo Seung Min, who watched the game 'Athens Olympic Champion', said "The day of (Lee) Sang-soo has come." Today is the day." Chairman Yoo, who has been watching Lee for a long time, often said about Lee that there is nothing to be afraid of either the top Chinese ranker or the Great Wall of China on a day when `a player with a certain shot, a certain international competitiveness' and 'Dakgong' match. Then "What makes Sang-soo great is that as you see your body, your body gets better as you get older. You can tell by looking at your lower body muscles. It means you're trying so hard. I'm not swayed either. He's showing his strength. He joked, saying, `Shouldn't we return to the national team?'
Lee Sang-soo will face Xiangfeng (23, world No. 23) in the men's singles final at 8 p.m. on the 6th. After going to the final for the first time in the history of the WTT Champions League, he will try to win for the first time.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
