Ahn Se-young roars after winning the semifinals of the All England Open in March last year. Photo = Yonex Korea
‘Shuttlecock Empress’ Ahn Se-young (22, Samsung Life Insurance), who has overcome an injury, is heading for her second consecutive All England Open victory.
The national badminton team will participate in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour French Open (Super 750), which will be held in Paris, France, on the 5th (Korean time) and the All England Open (Super 1000), which will open on the 12th in Birmingham, England.
The player garnering the most attention is Ahn Se-young, ranked No. 1 in women’s singles. He won the Malaysia Open last January, but withdrew from the quarterfinals of the India Open five days later due to a right thigh injury, and devoted himself to rehabilitation treatment. She has regained her real-life sense by training her skills since the middle of last month, and she will make her comeback in the round of 32 of the French Open against Chochu Wong Porn Pawi (Thailand).
Last year, Ahn Se-young won a total of 10 championships in international competitions, including the BWF World Tour and the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG), becoming the leader in women’s singles. She was named ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ at the 2023 BWF Awards.
I didn’t just walk the ‘flower road’. He continued his upward trend by defeating top ranked players one after another with amazing growth, but suffered a right knee injury in the first game of the Hangzhou AG final against Nasan Chen Yufei (China, 2nd place) on October 7. He did not give up and showed his fighting spirit and won the gold medal, but he took a hiatus for over a month afterwards. His mobility, which was his strength, also dropped significantly.
Chen Yu-fei, Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan, 3rd place) and Akene Yamaguchi (Japan, 4th place), who are forming the women’s singles ‘Big 4’ along with Ahn Se-young, will also participate in the French Open. For Ahn Se-young, whose biggest task is to regain her pre-injury skills, facing off against top players is expected to be a meaningful test.
Ahn Se-young returns home after winning the 2023 All England Open. IS Photo
Ahn Se-young’s biggest goal this year is to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which opens in July. After winning Hangzhou AG last year, he received a lot of invitations to model for broadcasting and advertising, but he refrained from external activities to focus on training for Paris.
The French Open, in which Ahn Se-young makes her comeback, will be held at the Adidas Arena in Paris, where the Olympic badminton event is held. Since the facility opened last February, this is Ahn Se-young’s first time on stage. This is an opportunity to get used to the court.
The reason the French Open is important is because it is a prelude to the All England Open, which immediately follows. The All England Open is the most prestigious international tournament, so much so that it is called the ‘Wimbledon of badminton.’
Ahn Se-young defeated Chen Yu-fei to win the competition last year. He is the first Korean singles player to reach the top in 27 years since Bang Bang-hyun (retired) in 1996.
Ahn Se-young is aiming for her second consecutive All England Open title this year. Chen Yufei, Tai Ziying, and Yamaguchi have all reached the top of this conversation more than once, but have not been able to achieve a second consecutive win. This is an opportunity for Ahn Se-young to become a true leader.
The French Open and All England Open are also important to other national team players. Since the race that qualifies for the Olympics ends on April 28, you need to earn as many points as possible before then to improve your ranking to be in an advantageous bracket, including seeding. Seung-jae Seo (Samsung Life Insurance), who won the BWF ‘Male Player of the Year’ last year, Kim So-young (Incheon International Airport), the Kim Kong Duo in women’s doubles, and Hee-yong Kong (Jeonbuk Bank) will also participate.
Reporter Ahn Hee-soo [email protected]
2024-03-04 22:15:18
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