“I wonder, ‘Is it a woman?’”
Ratchanok Inthanon (31), who became the first Thai player to win the women’s singles title at the 2013 Badminton World Championships and is still active, said this about Ahn Se-young in a media interview. How tough of an opponent Ahn Se-young must have been to say such a thing? In fact, Ahn Se-young said in an interview, “The ultimate goal is to go similar to the men’s singles.”
Seyoung Ahn recently lifted her 11th trophy at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2025 held in Hangzhou, China. It is tied with Kento Momota (Japan)’s record for most wins in a single season. World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, who bowed to Ahn Se-young in the women’s singles final, lost all eight matches last year in this match. Wang Ziyi could not hold back her upset and shed tears in the common reporting area. After the game, Wang Ziyi told Korean reporters, “Ahn Se-young is being analyzed and studied by many players around the world, but she always shows something new.”
Ahn Se-young had the best season so that no one would argue with him even if he was called ‘GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Time). What’s even scarier is his resolute words, “He’s not in his prime yet.” Ahn Se-young is now 24 years old. Even though he is ranked number one in the world, his competitors are holding their tongues because of his constantly improving skills.
Ahn Se-young’s specialty was ‘suffocating defense’, which drains the opponent’s stamina. The action of throwing one’s body to the floor as if diving, catching a shuttlecock, and standing up like a roly-poly is truly ‘another level’. However, looking at last year’s game, even the offense became more scary. In particular, the ‘Half Smash’, which freezes the opponent, is a masterpiece. It is a short-cut technique using a wrist snap, but it is difficult for the opponent to predict before hitting, and the speed at which the shuttlecock falls on the court is actually faster than a full smash. Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, her rival, confessed, “I used to think Ahn Se-young had a stronger defense, but recently she has gained a lot of power in her attacks, making it more difficult to rally or defend.”
However, it seems that Ahn Se-young’s enemies are no longer just competing players. This is because the BWF recently decided at a board meeting to change the international competition regulations from a 21-point system per game to a 15-point system. Although it is said that the purpose is to improve the spectators’ concentration on the game and protect the players, many see it as a measure to prevent Ahn Se-young, who is physically strong, from playing solo.
It is said that in the grasslands, the fate of lions and zebras are separated by only 10 cm. For lions, the difference between predation or starvation is narrow, and for zebras, it is the difference between life and death. Ahn Se-young reminds us of both a predatory lion and a zebra desperately trying to survive. They caught up with the best players by reducing the 10cm gap, and now they do their best to maintain the 10cm gap. Ahn Se-young wore a one-piece uniform for the first time in the finals. It is said that it has the advantage of reducing the chance of clothes getting caught or becoming untidy even during intense movements, and improving mobility. Contrary to Ahn Se-young’s playing style, which focuses on the play of a male player, the uniform has become more feminine. Could it be that of a zebra hiding the wild nature of a lion?
Reporter Bang Seung-bae
