An Se-young of Samsung Life Insurance (032830.KS) has written a new page in badminton history, becoming the first player to win back-to-back Asian Games women's singles gold medals with a dominant performance.
An, the world's top-ranked women's singles player, beat Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, ranked third, 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the final at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 29 to claim gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She did not drop a single game on her way to the title.
An, who won the singles title at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, becomes the first badminton player to win consecutive women's singles gold medals at the Games. No player had defended the women's singles title since badminton became an official Asian Games event at the 1962 Jakarta edition. Among Korean badminton players, An is the third to win consecutive titles, following the mixed doubles pairs of Park Joo-bong and Chung Myung-hee (1986 Seoul, 1990 Beijing) and Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung-min (1998 Bangkok, 2002 Busan).
An had already completed a career grand slam — titles at the Olympics, the world championships, the Asian Games and the Asian championships — by winning the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, the 2023 world championships, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Asian championships in April this year. Including team events, she has won 10 tournaments this year and holds a record of 56 wins and one loss, a winning rate of 98.25%.
An overpowered her rival Yamaguchi throughout the match. She took the first game 21-17 to seize the initiative, neutralizing Yamaguchi's defense with sharp hairpin shots over the net and drop shots that caught her opponent off guard. At the decisive moments when Yamaguchi mounted a push, An kept rallies alive with fearless defensive work that broke her opponent's momentum. In the second game, she held Yamaguchi to single digits, winning 21-9.
"This gold medal is just one step in the process," An said after the match. "There are many tournaments ahead, and what excites me more is that I don't know how much further I can grow." Asked about her next goal, she added, "My goal is to win the next tournament."
