They may be seven years apart in age but South Korean table tennis players Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin couldn't have been much closer in their partnership in Paris.Lim, 27, and Shin, 20, joined forces for the bronze medal in the mixed doubles event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, beating Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong 4-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12) in the third-place match.It was South Korea's first table tennis medal in a dozen years.Shin said afterward she was still pinching herself."I can't believe I am an Olympic medalist. I don't even know how I am feeling right now," she said. "I couldn't have won this medal without Jong-hoon. I am so thankful."Lim said winning a mixed doubles medal means extra special to him because it took a total team effort."Yu-bin has gone through so much over the years," Lim said. "She dealt with injuries to her wrist, back and knee. But she always kept on battling, and I really appreciate her hard work."Shin got a measure of revenge in this win. In her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo, Shin lost to Doo in the third round of the women's singles competition.She was reduced to tears then, saying she had tried to do too much. The former child prodigy has since grown into a force, with an Asian Games gold medal in the women's doubles last year being one of many international prizes she has picked up along the way.Asked about avenging that loss against Doo, Shin said, "I wasn't really thinking about that. I am just happy that we won."The stands at South Paris Arena 4 were packed with a sizable throng of pro-Hong Kong fans. South Korean supporters, a group that included Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Olympic men's singles gold medalist and president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, were badly outnumbered.Shin said she and her partner had discussed the possibility of playing in a hostile environment, and they were ready for it."We wanted to keep things positive and keep the momentum on our side," Shin said. "We tried to take it one point at a tim e, and it led to a great result. We trusted each other."Source: Yonhap News Agency