Jeon Ji-hee (32, former Mirae Asset Securities), a naturalized player who recently returned the national flag after boasting fantastic chemistry with Shin Yu-bin, is expected to participate in the World Table Tennis (WTT) series Singapore Smash 2025 from January to February next year.
According to Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday, Jeon will participate in the WTT series Singapore competition from January 30 to February 9 next year in an "invitation" format. While Shin Yu-bin (copyright) is included in the list of participants in the women's singles, Jeon also confirmed that she will participate in the Singapore competition. However, it is not decided which team she will join and which event she will participate in.
Earlier, Jeon Ji-hee left for China after missing the nation's most prestigious all-around championship, which was held in Samcheok, Gangwon Province from the 17th to the 24th. She also virtually ended her career in Korea because she did not renew her contract with Mirae Asset Securities, whose contract ends this year. Jeon Ji-hee is said to have expressed her intention to retire while discussing her future career path with her team.
Jeon Ji-hee, ranked 17th in the world of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), was the second highest among Korean female players after Shin Yu-bin (10th), and was scheduled to be given an automatic selection right for the national team next year, but naturally returned the national flag.
Her golden teamwork with Shin is no longer seen. Jeon collaborated with Shin at the World Championships held in Durban, South Africa, in May last year to win a silver medal. It was the first time in 36 years that a Korean player has reached the final round of women's doubles at the World Championships since the Yang Young-ja and Hyun Jung-hwa duo (gold) at the 1987 New Delhi Games.
Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee then collaborated for the first women's doubles gold medal in 21 years at the Hangzhou Asian Games in August last year, and also won their first doubles victory in the women's team event at the Paris Olympics in August this year, helping them to win a bronze medal in the women's team event for the first time in 16 years.
Earlier this month, Jeon also teamed up with Shin at the mixed group World Cup held in Chengdu, China, and Korea won the runner-up prize for the second consecutive year. However, this competition will remain as Jeon's farewell stage for the national flag and the last time she worked with Shin.
Jeon Ji-hee, a native of Langfang, Hebei Province, China, became a naturalized Korean citizen three years later after arriving in Korea in 2008. She had the best record among naturalized athletes, including an Olympic bronze medal, a world championship silver medal, and a gold medal and five bronze medals at the Asian Games. 메이저놀이터