Ri Jong-sik (Korean: 리정식; born 14 February 2000) is a North Korean table tennis player. He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the mixed doubles tournament along with Kim Kum-yong.
| Ri Jong-sik | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | 리정식 | ||||||||||||||
| Born | February 14, 2000 Pyongyang, North Korea | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Biography
editRi was born on 14 February 2000 in Pyongyang, North Korea.[1] In 2015, he participated at the Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships.[2] He played at the DPR Korea Open in 2016, 2017, and 2018.[2] In 2019, Ri played in the China Open in June, the Pyongyang Open in July, and at the 2019 Asian Table Tennis Championships in September.[2] He reached the third round of the men's singles at the Asian championships and won three rounds of the men's doubles – partnered with Ham Yu-song – before being defeated by the Hong Kong team.[2]
Ri competed at the 2022 Asian Games, held in 2023, in four events, with top 16 appearances in three events, but did not medal.[2][3][4] In April 2024, Ri and his mixed doubles partner Kim Kum-yong qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by defeating Spain in the ITTF World Olympic Qualification Tournament, 4–3.[5]
Ri and Kim, unranked by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) due to their limited experience in international competitions, were the last-ranked team in the Olympic mixed doubles competition and faced defending champion Japan – ranked second globally – in the opening round.[6][7] In a major upset, the North Korean pair defeated Japan by a score of 4–1.[6][8] Ri and Kim followed it up by defeating eighth-seeded Sweden and then fourth-seeded Hong Kong to reach the tournament finals against China.[7][9] They were defeated in the finals, 4–2, and thus received the silver medal, becoming the first Olympic medal-winners from North Korea in eight years.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ "Ri Jong Sik". Eurosport.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Ri Jong Sik - results at the ITTF tournaments". TableTennis.Guide.
- ^ "한국 남자 탁구 단체전, '넘사벽' 중국에 고작 한 세트 따냈다…또 은메달 [오!쎈 항저우]" [The Korean men's table tennis team won only one set against China, which was 'out of the box'... Another silver medal [Oh! Strong Hangzhou]]. Nate.com (in Korean). 26 September 2023.
- ^ "[아시안게임] 북한, 홍콩에 져 남자탁구 단체전 16강 탈락" [[Asian Games] North Korea loses to Hong Kong, eliminated in men's table tennis team round of 16]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 24 September 2023.
- ^ Yun-seok, Ahn (13 April 2024). "북 탁구 혼성복식팀, 파리 올림픽 참가 자격 획득" [North Korea table tennis mixed doubles team qualified for Paris Olympics]. SPNews.co.kr (in Korean).
- ^ a b Ahn, Hong-seok (28 July 2024). "[올림픽] 북한 리정식-김금용, 탁구 혼복서 우승 후보 일본 제압 '대이변'" [[Olympic Games] North Korea's Ri Jeong-sik and Kim Geum-yong beat Japan, the candidates for the table tennis mixed boxing title, in a 'great upset'] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ a b "Ri and Kim from Democratic People's Republic of Korea reach table tennis mixed doubles final". Olympics.com. 29 July 2024.
- ^ Hu, Krystal (28 July 2024). "Japan's Olympic mixed doubles table tennis team stunned in first round". The Japan Times.
- ^ Hu, Krystal (29 July 2024). "Table Tennis-North Korea reaches mixed doubles final to challenge China". Reuters.
- ^ "북한, 8년 만 올림픽 메달…탁구 혼복 리정식-김금용 銀[올림픽]" [North Korea wins Olympic medal after 8 years... Table Tennis Mixed Ri Jeong-sik - Kim Geum-yong Silver [Olympic]]. SPNews.co.kr (in Korean). 30 July 2024.
- ^ "North Korea Win First Olympic Medal In Eight Years With Table Tennis Silver". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. 30 July 2024.
