Home2022Best of Asia: Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong

Best of Asia: Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong

Kim So-yeong/Kong Hee Yong are one of the world’s best badminton doubles from Korea. Kim So-yeong was born on 9 July 1992, whereas Kong Hee Yong was born on December 11, 1996.  Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee Yong were paired as women's doubles back in 2018. Ever since being teamed up as a badminton partner, they have achieved many prestigious titles throughout the years. Some of those achievements include the 2019 Korea Open, Thailand Open 2020, and the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals. During the Covid-19 outbreaks, the All England 2020 was the last tournament they played before being absent due to the pandemic.  

Kim So-yeong/Kong Hee Yong finally made a comeback during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Yet, being absent for a while did not seem to hold back their strength and power to defeat their opponents. This can be seen during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where Kim So-yeong/Kong Hee Yong successfully defeated another Korean powerful pair Lee So Hee/Shin Seung Chan in two straight games with a score of 21-10 and 21-17. And, during the same year, Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong also participated in various prestigious tournaments, including becoming the winner of the Thailand Open II event. 

Additionally, they have come out as runners-up several times, which was during the 2020 BWF World Tour Finals, 2021 French Open, BWF World Tour Finals, and 2021 Badminton World Championships. Meanwhile this year, the pair won the 2022 Korea Masters, and won the runner-up title at the 2022 Badminton World Championships.

The Korean Badminton Association (BKA) selected Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong as the best players of 2021 at the 2022 awards night held at The-K Hotel in Seoul, and presented them with awards. With all the achievements they earned over the years, snatching the first place titles in various tournaments have become a motivation for them to go beyond the top. 

Earlier this October, Kim So-yeong/Kong Hee-yong became the world's number 1 women's doubles in the BWF rankings as of October 4, 2022. South Korean women's doubles pair, Kim So-yeong/Kong Hee-yong, celebrated their achievement as world No. 1 in the latest BWF world rankings in early October. 

 

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