Head coach of the women’s team Li Ching, who was part of the silver medal-winning team in Greece, admitted he did not expect Soo – who had so far only played doubles in this team tournament – to be the match-winning heroine, either.
“After losing to Japan [3-0 in the semi-finals], we never gave up and worked for the common goal to beat the Germans,” he said. “Soo was very brave today and played outside the box. She had never beaten the two Germans before, but this is the Olympics and anything can happen.
“Our game plan was to win the first two matches, the doubles and other one from Doo [Hoi-kem]. But I never expected Soo to be the player to make the difference. She proved she has the ability and her previous defeat was mainly a mental problem.
“What has changed for the players is their self-control and their emotions. They have also mentally matured.”