The challenge is over.
All that remained were the scars.
Chu Il-seung, head coach of the South Korean men’s national basketball team, bowed his head.
The word ‘disgrace’ came out of his mouth.
The South Korean men’s basketball team lost 70-84 to China in the men’s basketball quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center on Wednesday at 1 p.m. KST.
It was the first time in 17 years that South Korea suffered a “no-medal” humiliation since the 2006 Doha Games.
South Korea has competed in basketball at the Asian Games since 1954 in Manila.
They had only failed to reach the quarterfinals once before, in 2006. It was also the first and last time since 1958 in Tokyo that they didn’t win a medal. 카지노사이트
It’s been 17 years since South Korea has done so.
After the game, Chu said, “I think we were outclassed in terms of height.
The players had a tight schedule, so there was an overall physical burden.
After the first quarter, our stamina dropped, and I think the momentum shifted to China.
In many ways, they had every reason to beat us.”
It was a foregone conclusion.
South Korea lost its final Group D game against Japan 77-83 on March 30. It was a shocker.
Japan is not a “member of the elite” in this tournament.
It excluded all players who played in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup. It was essentially a second-team squad.
However, South Korea never held a lead against Japan for even a second.
The plan had gone awry. South Korea finished the group stage with a 2-1 record.
They finished second in their group.
They didn’t earn a direct ticket to the quarterfinals, which is awarded to the top team in each group.
South Korea crashed into the round of 12 deciding game for a ticket to the quarterfinals.
It was a long way around.
Chu Il-seung-ho faced Bahrain in the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. on Feb. 2. He won 88-73 and narrowly missed out on a spot in the quarterfinals.
There were also difficulties in preparing for the tournament. South Korea lost some of its key players to injury. Only six of the final 12 players were guards.
“It’s true that we had a little bit of trouble organizing because we lost some of our taller big men to injuries during the preparation process, but that’s part of the problem because we had limited options,” Chu said.
The loss ended South Korea’s quest for gold.
A return to the top of the podium nine years after the 2014 Incheon Games remains an unfulfilled dream.
Chu apologized to the nation.
“I’m sorry we didn’t achieve our goal.
It was a humiliating tournament for me personally, but the athletes are doing their best under these circumstances.
The tournament is not over yet. We will do our best until the end.
I am very sorry to the fans who support and love basketball.
I think it’s our duty to reap the beauty of the Yuzhong to repay them.”
South Korea will play the deciding game on Thursday at Zhejiang University’s Zijinjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.