“I heard that Hangzhou, China is the hometown of Chen Yufei (China, women’s singles, world No. 3) (who will compete for the gold medal). However, I believe that if we play while having fun as we have prepared, we will get good enough results at the Asian Games. We will show you the performance worthy of world ranking No. 1.”
He was full of confidence in every word he spoke calmly. Ahead of the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, ‘Badminton Empress’ Ahn Se-young (21, Samsung Life Insurance)’s entry ticket was full of dignity worthy of a top ranker.
Ahn Se-young is the protagonist who is rewriting the history of badminton in Korea. Last March, she reached the top of the women’s singles at the most prestigious Jeonyoung Open, and she reached the top of this event 27 years after Bang Soo-hyun in 1996. She later added to her winning record by overwhelming her competitors, who were called ‘nemesis’. On the 31st of last month, she rose to number one in the world rankings. It is also the first time in 27 years since Bang Soo-hyeon in September 1996 that Korea ranked first in the women’s singles.
Ahn Se-young’s world ranking, which started at 1335 in February 2018, has risen steeply over the past five years. She finished on the podium (placement) in all 11 competitions she participated in this season. She won seven times and added three runner-up finishes and one third place. The World Badminton Federation (BWF) praised Ahn Se-young for her run, using the modifier ‘impeccable’.
Ahn Se-young, the ‘Badminton Empress’, is challenging for the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games. 1 in the women’s singles world rankings, which Korean badminton has produced for the first time in 27 years. 스포츠토토
At a press conference held at the National Training Center in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do on the 16th, Ahn Se-young said, “It is true that the title of world ranking No. I can do it, and I can expect it,” he said.
Ahn Se-young is a master of transformation. He continued to evolve by constantly changing his playing style. After his debut on the adult stage, he was classified as a ‘defensive player’ until last year. It was a style of inducing his opponent to make mistakes with his strong stamina and stable defense.
He has risen to No. 1 in the world rankings, and the current way he plays is different. He adjusts the strength and weakness according to the flow of the game, and then hits the opponent with a strong swing at the right time to subdue the opponent. This year, she recorded 4 wins and 2 losses, 3 wins and 2 losses, and 5 wins and 1 against Chen Yu-fei, Yamaguchi Akane (Japan, 2nd place), and Tai Ziying (Taiwan, 4th place), who form the ‘Big 4’ in women’s singles this year. ahead by defeat
Kim Hak-gyun, coach of the badminton team, said, “Last month, there was a big change as we played the Korea Open and the Japan Open one after another.” As if she was wearing clothes that fit her body, she played comfortably and she won.”
Ahn Se-young shakes hands with Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (left), who visited the Jincheon National Training Center. [Newsis]
Ahn Se-young is running first in the prize money rankings (428,480 dollars, about 572 million won) among men and women this season. He said, “Since I’ve been running hard, I don’t think I deserve this kind of reward.” She wants to make a gift (for me) someday,” she said.
She is also expected to perform well in other sports of badminton at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Korea ranks second after China in the team rankings. In the women’s doubles, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na are second, and Kim So-young and Gong Hee-yong are third. The mixed doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jeong ranked 5th, and the men’s doubles pair Kang Min-hyeok and Seo Seung-jae ranked 6th. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Korea aims to win medals in all seven events (men’s and women’s team events, men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles).
Hangzhou Asian Games badminton medal outlook
Kim So-young, who is challenging for the gold medal in the women’s doubles pairing with Gong Hee-yong, said, “I gained confidence by easily beating the world number one Chen Qingchen-Zaifan (China) pair in the final of the Japan Open.”
The badminton team will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark on the 18th to participate in the World Championships that will open on the 21st. Then, on the 5th of next month, he will participate in the China Open to be held in Changzhou, China, and go to the final tempering.