With world title in tow, badminton doubles team feeling confident ahead of Asian Games

SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- Lee So-hee and Baek Hana, the South Korean badminton doubles team, are feeling highly confident ahead of the upcoming Asian Games, having just secured their first world title together. The duo defeated the top-seeded Chinese pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 21-15, 21-15, in the women's doubles final at the world championships in New Delhi on Sunday. This marks South Korea's first world title in women's doubles since 1995.

At 32, Lee has now achieved a complete medal collection, with previous bronze and silver medals from world championships. She expressed her joy at finally winning a world title at her age, crediting her partner Baek Hana for helping her realize this dream. Baek, 25, reciprocated, stating that her achievement is a result of Lee's guidance.

The team was not initially regarded as gold medal favorites due to their lack of recent successes in international events and their previous losses to the Chinese duo. However, their victory in the world championships final has given them hope and confidence for the Asian Games, which commence on September 19 in Japan. Lee emphasized that they saw a chance to replicate their world championship win against the Chinese team in the Asian Games, while Baek added that the team will approach their next meeting with renewed confidence.

Despite their past struggles against Liu and Tan, Lee and Baek dominated the final, winning the first five points of the first game and never trailing. They broke away from a 4-4 tie to secure a 10-5 lead in the second game. After a brief 13-12 tie, the South Koreans scored five consecutive points to clinch the gold medal in 51 minutes. Lee praised Baek's strong net play, while Baek acknowledged Lee's role in creating scoring opportunities for her.