By Henry Chen
“The nervousness was just the same in the Olympic Games,” said Jeoung Youngsik.
The 24-year old player from Korea Republic participates in this season’s Chinese Super League for the Shanghai Team. He plays with Olympic Team champion Xu Xin and is being coached by no other than the three-time World Champion Wang Liqin. Jeoung Youngsik’s main role in the team is to partner Shang Kun in the Doubles.
According to the foreign aide, playing in the Chinese Super League can be nerve-racking. Xu Xin explained why:
“There is still a gap between him and Shang Kun in the competition. Foreign players will feel tense. When we feel no pressure, they have more pressure.”
Despite the gap and the tension, Jeoung Youngsik can manage the pressure well. In the previous round of the competition held on Tuesday 25th October, he contributed two wins for the Shanghai Team.
He succeeded in the doubles with Shang Kun. More importantly, Jeoung Youngsik was the one who sealed the victory for Shanghai. He had to play in the decider against Kong Lingxuan. It was a tough and a very important encounter for him. He fought hard and eventually imposed his authority in the end. He won in three straight games (12-10, 9-11, 7-5).
“This is a whole new experience for me because the competition system of the Super League and in Korea Republic is not the same. Although I was nervous, I am extremely happy to have won the match,” said Jeoung Youngsik.
Currently, the foreign player from Korea Republic ranks in the no.20 spot in the individual standing. He has recorded two wins and four losses.
Jeoung Youngsik is aware of the high level of competition in the Super League but there is still another challenge that he has to face everyday; that is the language barrier. To overcome this challenge, he communicates with his body language and his translation applications. He also tries to learn few important Chinese words to communicate with his teammates.
Wang Liqin appreciates the efforts and hope that they can communicate more effectively. The World Champion believes that the competition is a big help for young players like Jeoung Youngsik.