Team Korea added three more medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games on Sunday, bringing their total medal count to 13 as of Monday.
In badminton, Jeong Jae-gun and Yu Soo-young won a silver medal after losing 2-0 in the men’s doubles final to China’s Mai Jianpeng and Qu Zi Mo. Meanwhile, in boccia, Jeong So-yeong earned a silver medal, and Kang Sun-hee took bronze on the same day.
The badminton duo’s silver marks Jeong Jae-gun’s first Paralympics at the age of 47, making him the oldest Korean badminton player at this year’s tournament. This silver is also Korea’s first badminton medal of the year, with singles matches yet to be played as of press time.
In boccia, Jeong So-yeong competed against Portugal’s Cristina Goncalves in the women’s individual BC2 final, where she secured silver after a 4-1 loss. Meanwhile, Kang Sun-hee claimed bronze in the BC3 category by defeating Brazil’s Evani Calado 7-2.
Boccia, similar to the Winter Olympic sport of curling, involves players throwing six balls toward a white target ball called the jack. The team, pair, or individual with the ball closest to the jack scores at each end. The sport features seven events, categorized by physical impairment and the number of players. This year, six Koreans are competing for medals, with two athletes each in the BC1, BC2, and BC3 sport classes.
Jeong So-yeong and Kang Sun-hee’s medals are Korea’s first in boccia at this year’s Games, a sport in which the country has historically excelled. Korea has won 10 gold medals in boccia, having claimed gold at every Paralympics since the 1988 Seoul Games.
In other events, the Korean women’s goalball team secured a spot in the quarterfinals after a 0-0 draw with Canada in their final group stage game on Sunday. This marks Korea’s fourth appearance at the Paralympics and their first since 2012. A medal this year would be the team’s second consecutive medal at a major international tournament, following their bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
Goalball is played on a volleyball-sized court by two teams of three players each. The objective is to roll a ball containing bells at high speed toward a court-wide goal, while defending players dive to block the ball. Each game consists of two 12-minute halves, with spectators required to remain completely silent during play.