An Se-young made badminton history on Sept. 29, 2026, by securing her second women’s singles gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Competing at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, the world number one defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the final, cementing her status as the first player to win back-to-back women’s singles titles in the tournament’s history, according to Yonhap News reports.
Final Match Dynamics Against Akane Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi pressed the pace early in the opening set, pushing the top-ranked South Korean star with aggressive attacks. An Se-young countered with sharp defensive floor coverage and rapid pace changes, drawing long rallies that targeted the back corners of the court. The score remained level through 16-16 before An Se-young broke away using precise diagonal smashes and clean net play to take the first set 21-17.
In the second set, An Se-young seized control from the opening serve. Despite a brief scoring lapse, she quickly expanded her lead and closed out the match 21-9, sealing the straight-sets victory.
Historic Milestone and Career Records
With this second gold following her victory at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, An Se-young matches the legendary career title benchmark held by Indonesian great Suzy Susanti. The milestone highlights a dominant run on the international circuit for the South Korean singles star, who successfully defended her continental crown.
The victory also reinforces South Korea’s strong presence across the badminton disciplines at the 2026 Games, adding to a successful medal campaign in Aichi-Nagoya that has tested the world’s elite players.
Additional South Korean and International Results
South Korean success continued in the women’s doubles draw as Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee claimed the gold medal. The pair faced world number one Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China in a hard-fought three-set final. After dropping a tight opening set 28-26, the South Korean duo rebounded to win the next two sets identically at 21-18, 21-18. The win comes roughly a month after Baek and Lee also defeated the Chinese pair in the world championship final.
In the mixed doubles category, China’s Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin secured the gold medal by defeating Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah in straight sets, 21-19, 21-8.
Meanwhile, in women’s football action at the Games, North Korea advanced to the final by defeating tournament host China 2-0. Following a scoreless first half, the breakthrough arrived in the 54th minute when Chinese defender Yao Wei inadvertently headed the ball into her own net. Myong Yu Jong added a second goal with a difficult strike just over ten minutes before regulation time, sealing the victory and sending North Korea through to compete for the women’s football gold medal.
Keep reading
