▲Park Ji- eun, a table tennis player at CWNU, won the 2nd Korean University Table Tennis Championships and was selected as a national team member (Source: CWNU Waggle)

CWNU’s table tennis player, Park Ji- eun, has been selected for the national team. On August 15th, the Department of Physical Education announced that first- year student- athlete, Park Ji- eun, won the women's individual singles event of the '2nd Korea University Table Tennis Championship,' which took place in Gimcheon from August 10th. Following last year's victory by Kim Go- eun at the same competition, CWNU has achieved back- to- back championships. With her victory in this competition, Park Ji- eun, who has secured the top spot in the women's university ranking, will represent the national team at the '2023 Poland International Tournament' scheduled for November this year.

This year's competition, which was newly established by the Korea University Table Tennis Federation (KUTTF) last year, is co- hosted in collaboration with the Korea Youth Table Tennis Federation. It is regarded as an event that allows the assessment of the skills of young table tennis players from across the country and university- level players. This University Championship includes singles and doubles matches, finds the best individual player and crowns them as the 'University Champion.' The competition was divided into 16 groups, and after the preliminary match, the top two places from each group advanced to the knockout stage.

Park Ji- eun, after securing second place in the group stage, advanced to the tournament's knockout stage. She defeated Gongju University's Lee Ga- yeon in Round 32, Andong University's Nam Yoon- jung in Round 16, and Yongin University's Jung Ji- eun in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she engaged in a tight match that went all the way to a full game against Gongju University's Baek Su- jin, ultimately earning her a spot in the final match. In the final, Park Ji- eun secured victory against, 'eternal rival' of CWNU, Yongin University's Kim Yeon- hee, adding the title of 'University Champion' to her name and claiming the top spot in the women's university ranking.

Park Ji- eun had won the individual singles silver medal at the 69th men's and women's table tennis championships in April. At that time, CWNU Table Tennis Team's coach, Oh Yoon- kyung, commented, “With key players like Kim Go- eun and No Pu- reum graduating last year, we formed the team with younger players, and we still have many areas to improve.” She added, “The athletes gained confidence with the results in this tournament. We'll prepare well to achieve good results in the national championships.” Furthermore, Park Ji- eun won the individual singles title at the 56th Ministerial Table Tennis Competition in July, and based on her excellent skills this year, she ultimately won the current competition and was honored as a national team member.

CWNU's table tennis team has excelled in individual singles and achieved remarkable results in other disciplines. In the mixed doubles event, Park Heon- min and Park Ji- eun secured second place. In the semi- finals, they faced Yongin University, Jung Ji- eun and Park Yi- re, and secured a hard- fought victory after a full- game battle. However, in the finals, they faced a tough match against Incheon University's Lee Soo- yeon and Ong Chae- yeon, ultimately settling for the runner- up position with a close 3- 2 score. In the men's doubles event as well, Kim Jin- taek and Shin Seok- hyun made it to the finals. However, they were defeated by the pair from Gunsan University, Nam Geon- woo and Kwon Kang- min, with a score of 3- 1, securing second place.

With the conclusion of this University Championship, KUTTF has decided to send the top two players with the highest ranking points from the five competitions held this year to represent the national team at the '2023 Poland International Tournament,' taking place from November 1st to 8th. Park Ji- eun will represent South Korea alongside the 2nd- ranked player, Lee Eun- joo from Hannam University, in competing against players from around the world. Following the senior players Kim Go- eun and No Pu- reum, who were selected as representatives for table tennis in the 31st Universiade Games in April last year, CWNU has now produced table tennis national team members for two consecutive years.

With her exceptional performance in numerous competitions this year, Park Ji- eun has elevated CWNU's status, and she now proudly carries the national flag to represent South Korea. This is a moment where the hard work and dedication of the student- athletes, as well as the guidance and efforts of the coaching staff and mentors, shine brightly as they achieved outstanding results, elevating the university's reputation. We wish Park Ji- eun the best of luck in her upcoming competition in Poland, and we also hope that the CWNU table tennis team continues to develop into outstanding athletes who not only raise the university's reputation, but also contribute to the prestige of South Korea.

By Kim Han-seul, cub-reporter  hozejunior@naver.com

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