27th Asian Table Tennis Championship was kicked off in Astana,El.kz reports.
In the first meeting, the Kazakhs defeated the DPRK national team with a score of 3:2. In the second match, the team confidently beat the Pakistan national team with a score of 3:0. These results allowed the Kazakh team to take first place in the group and continue to fight for reaching the final eight of the tournament.
The preliminary results of the XXVII Asian Championship games on October 7 have become known.
Men's Team Group Stage:
Kazakhstan 3:2 DPRK
Kirill Gerasimenko 3:2 HAM Yu Song
Alan Kurmangaliev 2:3 RI Jong Sik
Aidos Kenzhigulov 1:3 KIM Song Il
Kirill Gerasimenko 3:0 RI Jong Sik
Alan Kurmangaliev 3:2 HAM Yu Song
Kirill Gerasimenko, a participant in the Olympic Games Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and the leader of the national team, shared his impressions of the match:
"I am very glad that the Asian Championship is being held in Kazakhstan. The support of the fans gave our team a special impetus. Today's match was not easy - the DPRK national team has the strongest players, including Ri Jong Sik, silver medalist of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in mixed doubles. It's especially nice that Alan found the key to victory in the decisive game. This victory is an important step forward. We will continue to try to please the fans with a new victory."