 Entering as the underdog, Uiseong-gun Office (Photo: Curling1spoon) fought their way to the top of the podium at the 2024 Korean Curling Championships in Uijeongbu. By: Cameron Sallaj The men's field of the 2024 Korean Championships featured the previous three national title holders from 2021, 2022 and 2023. Despite this, they would each be knocked out in consecutive playoff games by the eventual new champion, Lee Jae-beom. As the fourth ranked team coming into the field, Lee and his teammates Kim Hyo-jun, Pyo Jeong-min, Kim Eun-bin and Kim Jin-hun were not favorites to win the national championships, being expected to place in the middle of the pact. In the round robin, the team made a statement in their third game when they defeated 2022 national champion Jeong Byeong-jin 9-7. After this, however, they lost to 2021 and 2023 national champions Kim Soo-hyuk and Park Jong-duk respectively, finishing with a 4-2 record and earning a spot in the 3 vs. 4 game. Facing elimination for the rest of the tournament, the Uiseong rink began a dominant and explosive run to the top of the podium, beginning by defeating Seol City Hall's Jeong for a second time in the page playoffs. They then moved into the semifinal where after a tight game, they took one in the tenth end to knock off Gyeongbuk Sports Council's Kim Soo-hyuk 8-7. With these two impressive wins, the team found themselves in their first national men's final where they would take on the defending champions Gangwon Province's Park Jong-duk, the only undefeated team in the tournament with seven straight victories. Starting without the hammer, Lee and his team took early control of the final by unexpectedly stealing two in the second end. They then traded singles with Gangwon's Park for both the third and fourth ends, taking a 3-1 lead into the second half. After forcing Gangwon again in the sixth end, Uiseong-gun got their second multi-point end in the seventh by taking three, extending their lead to 6-2. Despite this, a mistake on Lee's last rock of the eighth opened the door for Park to make a double for three points which he executed perfectly, making the score 6-5 with two ends remaining. In nine, it was Park who made a costly mistake on his final stone which ultimately sealed his team's fate. A poorly executed runback left an open hit for Lee to take four and put his team up 10-5, a deficit Gangwon would not come back from. After fighting their way through three elimination games, Uiseong-gun Office were crowned the 2024 Korean national champions. As the newly crowned national team, Lee and his teammates will represent Korea at all international events during the 2024-25 season. This includes the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships, 2025 Asian Winter Games, and the 2025 World Men's Curling Championship if they reach qualification. |
Sweden's Niklas Edin (photo: Anil Mungal/GSOC) is set to begin the Olympic season in Baden, Switzerland, at the Baden Masters.
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