Ahn Se-young takes first place in the world rankings by winning international competitions… ‘Doubles’ Seo Seung-jae also exploded with skill
The national team, which won four medals at the World Tour Finals, is also looking forward to next year’s Paris Olympics.
Seung-jae Seo (left) and Min-hyuk Kang are smiling after winning the men’s doubles match at the BWF World Tour Finals, which ended in Hangzhou, China on the 17th. Hangzhou | Shinhwa Yonhap News
Korean badminton finished 2023 with Ahn Se-young (21) and Seo Seung-jae (26) at their peak.
The badminton team won one gold medal, one silver medal, and two bronze medals at the HSBC Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2023, which ended in Hangzhou, China on the 17th.
Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk won the men’s doubles, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na took second place in the women’s doubles, and Ahn Se-young in the women’s singles and Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong in the mixed doubles won bronze medals.
The World Tour Finals are called the ‘King of Kings’ in badminton. This is because it is the last competition of the season in which only the top eight teams in each event participate. Seo Seung-jae shined until the end.
Seo Seung-jae specializes in doubles and is ranked 6th in the world with Kang Min-hyuk in men’s doubles and 3rd in the world with Chae Yu-jeong in mixed doubles. Seo Seung-jae, who was close to the top spot until last year, took the top spot in both events this year. She won a silver medal at the All England Open and a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in mixed doubles with Chae Yu-jeong. He won both mixed doubles and men’s doubles at the World Individual Championships.
He then won gold and bronze medals at the World Tour Finals, the last competition of the season. In particular, the opponent that Kang Min-hyuk defeated in the men’s doubles final was the world’s No. 1 group. They defeated China’s Liang Yuikeng and Wang Chang 2-0 (21-17 22-20) and took home the men’s doubles title at this tournament for the first time in 9 years since Lee Yong-dae and Yoo Yeon-seong in 2014.
Seo Seung-jae is often compared to Lee Yong-dae, who was at the top of both doubles events in the past. In the early and mid-2010s, when Lee Yong-dae maintained the world’s No. 1 ranking for a long time while maintaining flexibility and harmony following Jeong Jae-seong, Ko Seong-hyun, Shin Baek-cheol, Kim Sarang, and Kim Ki-jung were all at the top of the world rankings, and Korea reigned as the strongest men’s doubles player. However, after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the badminton national team, especially the men’s team, went through a transitional period as they gave up their national flag in large numbers.
Afterwards, the female players showed strength. In particular, in the women’s doubles, Kim So-young and Gong Hee-yong appeared along with Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan, and Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na, who swapped partners, also rose to the top ranks in the world and engaged in family fights at every tournament. In the women’s singles, the youngest player, Ahn Se-young, has grown significantly since last year and has dominated international competitions this year, reaching number 1 in the world. Seo Seung-jae’s skills have also exploded at the same time, and Korea has won every tournament in the men’s and women’s doubles.
The fact that Seo Seung-jae recently won the BWF Male and Female Player of the Year awards along with Ahn Se-young is proof that Korean badminton has entered a new era of strength. This is the decisive driving force behind Korean badminton showing strength in all sports rather than relying only on Ahn Se-young.
Korean badminton has not won an Olympic gold medal since Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jeong won the mixed doubles title in Beijing in 2008. Korean badminton has clearly regained confidence and is now setting its sights on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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2023-12-18 13:08:25
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