When badminton was accepted as an Olympic sport for the 1992 Barcelona Games, doubles specialist Young-Ah Gil was in position to take advantage of the opportunity. She and her partner, Shim Eun-Jung, had earned bronze medals at the 1991 world championships and they repeated their performance at the Olympics, as fellow Koreans, Hwang Hye-Young and Chung So-Young took the gold. At the 1993 world championships, Gil teamed with Chung and she placed third again. Gil switched partners once more, joining with Jang Hye-Ock. Gil and Jang won the 1995 world championships, coming from behind to defeat an Indonesian pair in the final. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Gil and Jang qualified for the final, but lost to the Chinese pair of Ge Fei and Gu Jun. For the 1996 Games, mixed doubles was added to the Olympic program for the first time. Korea (South Korea) entered two teams, Gil and Kim Dong-Moon, and Ra Kyung-Min and Park Joo-Bong. The day after Gil earned her silver medal in women's doubles, she and Kim faced Ra and Park in the mixed doubles final. Ra and Park led the first game 9-5 and 14-9. Gil and Kim closed to 14-13 before succumbing 15-13. Gil and Kim won the second game easily, 15-4, but the tiebreaker was full of drama. Ra and Park took a 10-5 lead, but Gil and Kim gradually fought back to an 11-11 tie. The two sides traded points before Gil and Kim moved ahead 14-12 and then converted their second match point.

Atlanta, Georgia State University, 1 August 1996: Young-Ah GIL and Dong-Moon KIM from Korea punch their fists in the air to celebrate after winning the badminton mixed doubles during the Games of the XXVI Olympiad. Credit: Getty Images/Stu Forster

Atlanta, Georgia State University, 1 August 1996: Young-Ah GIL and Dong-Moon KIM from Korea, gold medallists, in action during the badminton mixed doubles final against Kyung-Min RA and Joo-Bong PARK from Korea during the Games of the XXVI Olympiad. Credit: Getty Images/Stu Forster

Atlanta, Georgia State University, 1 August 1996, Games of the XXVI Olympiad: medal ceremony for the badminton mixed doubles: Dong-Moon KIM and Young-Ah GIL from Korea, gold medallists. Credit: Getty Images/Stu Forster

Credit: IOC

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