Nopureum, Do Minji, and Jeong Unseo Take 3rd Place
Kim Go-eun of Changwon University, who won first place in the women's division at the 1st Korea University Table Tennis Championship. [Image source=Changwon University]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Se-ryeong] Kim Go-eun, a player of the Changwon University Table Tennis Team, claimed the top spot at the 1st Korea University Table Tennis Championship.
According to Changwon University on the 27th, Kim Go-eun, a senior in the Department of Physical Education, won first place in the women's university division, while sophomore No Pureum and freshman Do Min-ji took third place.
This tournament, with a total prize money of 10 million KRW including 1.5 million KRW for first place, 1 million KRW for second, and 500,000 KRW for third, is a 'University Championship' that determines the strongest player solely based on individual skills without doubles or team events.
The format divided participants into 16 groups for league matches, after which the first and second place from each group advanced to the round of 32, proceeding in a knockout tournament style.
Kim Go-eun advanced to the tournament as the top seed with an undefeated record in the preliminaries, defeating Kang Da-yeon from Incheon University in the round of 32, Jeon Yeo-jin from Hannam University in the round of 16, and Kim Ji-soo from Gangwon Provincial College in the quarterfinals to secure a spot in the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Kim faced No Pureum and advanced to the finals after a full-set close match.
In the final, she battled Baek Su-jin from Kongju University, who had defeated Do Min-ji, and clinched the championship after a match that went to the last set.
In the men's university division, Jeong Un-seo, a junior in the Department of Physical Education, defeated players from Kyunggi University and Gangwon University to reach the semifinals but was defeated by Kang Jin-ho from Andong University, finishing in third place.
Changwon University recorded a first place in the women's division, two third places, and a third place in the men's division. According to tournament regulations, coach Oh Yoon-kyung received half of the total prize money awarded to coaches.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
