I always thought the finals were someone else’s story. Although he was Superman’s pupil, he was always a sidekick and only cheered on his colleagues on the big stage.
However, the disciple finally defeated the master and achieved the best results of his life. This is the story of Oh Tae-joon (30), a promising player in his later years.
Oh Tae-joon defeated Cho Jae-ho (42, NH Nonghyup Card) in the men’s quarterfinals of the ‘High1 Resort PBA-LPBA Championship 2022’ held at High1 Resort in Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do on the 16th. After a full set battle, he won 4-3.
It is the first final of his career. Oh Tae-joon has been on the PBA tour since the 2019-2020 season, but advancing to the quarterfinals was the best result. In this event, he made it to the final following his first semifinal.
It was a treat. Oh Tae-jun won the first set in the semifinals, but Jo Jae-ho immediately counterattacked and the match continued until the last 7 sets. He had a tight 9-for-9 score going into the 7th inning. Oh Tae-jun and Jo Jae-ho had a chance to finish it, but the ball missed with a piece of paper or a kiss burned the hearts of the viewers.
In the end, Oh Tae-Jun decided the game in the 8th inning. The goddess of luck smiled at Oh Tae-jun. The 3rd bank shot was shorter than expected, but luckily the game ended with the 1st ball hit thinly and the 2nd ball hit.
Oh Tae-joon stood there blankly with an expression of disbelief, then bowed his head toward Jo Jae-ho. Unfortunately, Jaeho Jo, who stopped at the threshold of the finals, smiled brightly and hugged his junior. Oh Tae-joon shed tears. It was the end of a 3-hour long battle.
Were the aftereffects of the quarterfinals great? Oh Tae-joon, who showed tremendous momentum, gave up the championship cup by collapsing 메이저놀이터 helplessly 1-4 in the final with Mamin Calm (Vietnam, NH Nonghyup Card). Taejun Oh, who had a shorter break than Maminkam, who played the quarterfinals first, could not use his strength properly.
After the match, Oh Tae-joon said, “I’ve participated in all the PBA Championship individual tours for four years, and the best result was the quarterfinals.” He continued, “After the semi-finals, I thought he had enough rest. It’s an excuse, but he has a headache and his eyes are sore.”
In fact, Oh Tae-joon was greatly influenced by his senior, enough to be called ‘Little Jo Jae-ho’. Oh Tae-joon said, “I learned a lot from Jo Jae-ho to the point of being a teacher in my own way.”
Oh Tae-joon looked back, saying, “After the game, I felt complicated, such as sorry and thankful.” Then, he said, “At that time, my tear glands burst, so originally I should have cried like crazy, but I held back because I was afraid I would be embarrassed.”
Until last season, Oh Tae-joon belonged to the same NH Nonghyup Card as Jo Jae-ho. However, he was forced to leave the team as he was relegated from the first division due to poor performance. Coincidentally, as Oh Tae-jun left, Maminkam filled the vacancy and participated in the team league.
I left the team On this day, Oh Tae-joon competed wearing a shirt the same color as NH Nonghyup Card’s uniform. Oh Tae-joon said, “I came wearing what I had at home,” but also said, “I only have green long arms.” He then smiled, saying, “Strangely, I met NH Nonghyup Card players in the semifinals and finals, and I got one.”
He didn’t win the trophy, but he gained confidence. Oh Tae-joon looked back and said, “Over half of the tour, I dropped out early, such as being eliminated in the round of 128 and the first round, so on the last day I went to cheer on my teammates who made it to the semifinals and finals.” “I thought a lot about why I couldn’t go up, but I got the confidence that I could do it too,” he said.
Jo Jae-ho’s influence was significant. Oh Tae-joon revealed the background of his first final, saying, “I was envious of Jo Jae-ho’s sharpening and polishing at the personal training ground.” He is Oh Tae-jun, who dreams of a higher flight beyond Superman.