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[스포츠서울 | 김경무전문기자] “Successful mothers who are proud of their fast-growing children.”
While the World Badminton Federation (BWF) Super 1000 series, the 2023 Jeonyeong Open, began on the 14th (local time), the children of Korean Shuttlecock women’s doubles legend Gil Young-ah and Jeong So-young are attracting attention.
Prior to the opening of this tournament, the BWF World Tour paid attention to Kim Won-ho (24, Samsung Life Insurance), who won the German Open (Super 300) men’s doubles with Choi Sol-gyu last week, as ‘one of the players to watch’.
For Kim Won-ho, this is the second Jeonyeong Open challenge since 2018. However, his mother, Gil Yeong-ah, current Samsung Life Insurance women’s badminton coach, is a legend who won the women’s doubles champion for three consecutive years from 1993 to 1995.
Coach Gil Young-ah recalled those moments nearly 30 years ago, saying, “I vividly remember the etiquette of the spectators watching the game and the standing ovation for us.” Gil Young-ah’s partner at the time was Jung So-young. Chung So-young paired with other players to win the Jeon-Young Open four more times.
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The daughter of Jeong So-young is Kim Hye-jeong (25, Samsung Life Insurance), who competed in the women’s doubles at the Jeonyeong Open. Kim Hye-jeong is paired with Naeun Jeong (23, Hwasun-gun Cheong), and she is ranked 4th in the world rankings and is assigned the 4th seed for this tournament and is challenging to win.
Gil Young-ah and Jung So-young are also Olympic champions, but the World Tour side predicted, “Their offspring are still in the early stages of their careers, and considering their mothers’ support, they will probably be able to do even greater things.”
Coach Gil Young-ah said, “I am so proud that my son is an internationally competitive player. He tends to talk about what his son can and should do. He has a strong will to ask himself questions first, and he often calls me to get advice on how I played.”
Jung So-young said, “I give advice (to my daughter) only to the extent of watching the video and giving feedback.”
Coach Gil Young-ah remembers leaving her young son, Kim Won-ho, at home when she left for training during her player days. He said, “I had to leave the house often because I had to play badminton. He felt so sorry for his young son. He endured a difficult time with the thought that as his son grew up, he would understand later.”
Jeong So-yeong said of her daughter, “I am grateful and proud to be an internationally competitive athlete, but my heart hurts because I know how much pain there was in the process.” “She thinks that as long as her daughter has the will, she will have no problems with her career as an athlete,” he said. So I tell her daughter to do whatever she wants, even if she doesn’t marry her,” he confided. [email protected]
