"They said that mother and son would be gold medalists. Haha."

Gil Young-ah, the mother of Kim Won-ho (Samsung Life), a silver medalist in the mixed doubles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a gold medalist in the mixed doubles badminton at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, said with a smile.

Kim Won-ho, the son of a gold medalist, also expressed his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Kim Won-ho met with Yonhap News right after playing the third match of the men's doubles quarterfinals of the 105th National Sports Festival badminton men's general division against Gyeongnam at the Miryang Badminton Stadium in Gyeongnam on the 10th and said, "I want to challenge myself once more at the next Olympics. If I get the chance, I want to win a gold medal in the men's doubles." 

Kim Won-ho won a silver medal in the mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics, teaming up with Jeong Na-eun (Hwasun County Office).

He said he agreed with the assessment that it was a "surprise silver medal," saying, "We had no expectations. We were just grateful to be going to the Olympics."

Kim Won-ho, who said, "I was worried because I saw many of my brothers fall apart (after doing well in big competitions)," added, "I do feel a bit empty. It seems like it's still a work in progress," but added, "I'm holding on because I have a strong desire to challenge myself (at the Olympics) one more time." 

Coach Gil Young-ah smiled as she said that Kim Won-ho, who had been in the shadow of the 'gold medalist's mother', seemed to have shaken off some of the burden thanks to the silver medal, and said that she often hears people around her talk about the 'mother gold medalist'.

On the one hand, Kim Won-ho, who has lived as the son of a gold medalist, felt sorry for him, saying, "He seems like an old man."

Coach Gil expressed his affection for his son and badminton junior, Kim Won-ho, saying that he is dedicated to sports and has great speed.

Kim Won-ho expressed his respect for the 'badminton legend', saying, "As a player, I learn so much from watching my mother."

He continued, "My mom sometimes mentors me when I'm having trouble. She gives me advice when I ask her about my partner's tendencies, playing style, how to manage the doubles game, and how to deal with the mental aspects." He added, "I'm just a quiet son who's not good at expressing myself." 

It was a series of hardships until the Olympic silver medal.

After losing their first match in the group stage, they ended up with only 1 win and 2 losses, but thanks to France beating top-ranked Indonesia, the pair of Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun dramatically secured a ticket to the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, they faced their senior national team players, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong, who had lost all five matches against them, and they requested a medical time out during the match, possibly because they had used up all their strength, and even vomited into a bag.

After a deuce, they beat their seniors and advanced to the finals, giving Korea its first Olympic mixed doubles medal since the 2008 Beijing Games when the Lee Yong-dae-Kim Hyo-jung pair won gold.

In the process, Kim Won-ho not only won a silver medal, but also learned a valuable lesson that he will remember throughout his life.

"I was so frustrated right after losing my first match, thinking that my Olympic stage was over. I wondered if it was going to end so vainly," said Kim Won-ho. "Even during that time, I never gave up until the very end, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I vowed to myself that I would never give up, no matter what the situation was." 

Has Kim Won-ho's mindset spread to the entire team?

On this day, Busan (Samsung Life), which was on the verge of elimination after losing the first and second games to the powerhouse Gyeongnam in the quarterfinals of the men's general division of the National Sports Festival, dramatically advanced to the semifinals by starting with the Kim Won-ho-Kang Min-hyeok pair defeating the Lim Su-min-Park Seol-hyeon pair 2-0 (24-22 21-13) in the third game, and then winning the fourth game (double match) by the Seo Seung-jae-Ahn Yun-seong pair and the fifth game (singles) by Heo Gwang-hee.

Perhaps due to his fighting spirit that pushed him beyond his limits at the Olympics, Kim Won-ho's shoulder ligaments were strained.

He competed in the Korea Open in August despite being ill and came in third in the mixed doubles, but his shoulder condition worsened.

On this day too, he was unable to hit a smash cleanly due to shoulder pain, and coach Gil Young-ah, who was watching from the stands, felt sorry for him and said, "Oh my, he can't hit it properly." 

Kim Won-ho, who received special military service privileges as an Olympic silver medalist, will enter the training camp on the 14th of next month to receive three weeks of basic military training.

Kim Won-ho predicted that the three weeks without holding a racket would be enough time to recover the overall condition of his body, including his shoulders.

Kim Won-ho, who imagined himself with a bald head, saying, "I think it would be embarrassing to cut my hair," was worried that he might get a skin rash during chemical, biological, and radiological warfare training.

It is said that he suddenly developed severe hives on his skin, perhaps because his body was pushed to its limits during the Olympics.

Kim Won-ho said, "I think my body's balance was completely ruined after going through the Olympics. I'm worried that if I come into contact with chemicals during chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear warfare training, I might get a severe skin rash again."

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