| Ri Jong-sik | |
| Native Name: | 리정식 |
| Native Name Lang: | Korean |
| Birth Date: | 14 February 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Ri Jong-sik (; born 14 February 2000) is a North Korean table tennis player. He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the mixed doubles tournament along with Kim Kum-yong.
Ri was born on 14 February 2000 in Pyongyang, North Korea.[1] In 2015, he participated at the Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships.[2] He played at the DPR Korea Open in 2016, 2017, and 2018.[2] In 2019, Ri played in the China Open in June, the Pyongyang Open in July, and at the 2019 Asian Table Tennis Championships in September.[2] He reached the third round of the men's singles at the Asian championships and won three rounds of the men's doubles – partnered with Ham Yu-song – before being defeated by the Hong Kong team.[2]
Ri competed at the 2022 Asian Games, held in 2023, in four events, with top 16 appearances in three events, but did not medal.[2] [3] [4] In April 2024, Ri and his mixed doubles partner Kim Kum-yong qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by defeating Spain in the ITTF World Olympic Qualification Tournament, 4–3.[5]
Ri and Kim, unranked by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) due to their limited experience in international competitions, were the last-ranked team in the Olympic mixed doubles competition and faced defending champion Japan – ranked second globally – in the opening round.[6] [7] In a major upset, the North Korean pair defeated Japan by a score of 4–1.[6] [8] Ri and Kim followed it up by defeating eighth-seeded Sweden and then fourth-seeded Hong Kong to reach the tournament finals against China.[7] [9] They were defeated in the finals, 4–2, and thus received the silver medal, becoming the first Olympic medal-winners from North Korea in eight years.[10] [11]