Shin Yu-bin fights his fitness and searches for silverware

Shin Yu-bin in action during the 2023 Korea Table Tennis League game at Gwanggyo Gymnasium, Kyonggi University on February 5 [KTTA]

Korean table tennis player Shin Yu-bin is ready to return to the game after a long injury.

An eighteen-year-old girl rose to fame at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she became the youngest ever Korean table tennis player to play in the Olympics.

Although Shin did not win a medal in her first Olympics after losing 4-2 to Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem in the round of 32, she showed her potential when she managed to reach the quarterfinals in a team match with Choi Hyo. -yeah and Jeon Ji-hee.

After the Olympics, Shin was expected to improve significantly, but was unable to do so due to injury.

The Korean prospect suffered a wrist injury in November 2021 at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston. This injury did not heal quickly and he was eventually forced into rehab for about a year.

“It was the most difficult time of my life,” Shin said in an interview with MBC. “I was mentally exhausted because my wrist was not healing well. I couldn’t count how many times I cried then.”

Shin also missed selection for Korea’s national team for the 2022 Asian Games last year due to injury, although the tournament was postponed, making the selection irrelevant.

However, during the rehabilitation period, he focused on his lower body strength, which has enabled him to move more nimbly.

Shin is now aiming to play in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in pursuit of his first Asian medal. The tournament will now take place in September this year.

He last won a medal at an international tournament in October 2021, when he won one gold medal in singles and two silver medals in team matches and doubles at the 2021 Asian Table Tennis Championships.

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