[스포티비뉴스=방이동, 박대현 기자 / 이충훈 영상 기자] The current state of Korean badminton. At the center is ‘Shuttlecock Empress’ Ahn Se-young.
Chairman Kim Dong-moon, a ‘legend of Korean badminton’ who won gold medals in mixed doubles at the Atlanta Olympics and men’s doubles at the Athens Olympics during his active career, evaluated Ahn Se-young as “the best player of all time.”
Even compared to names that dominated an era, such as Suzy Susanthi, Lin Dan, and Lee Chong-wei, Ahn Se-young gave high praise, calling it “a completely different level.”
[김동문 / 대한배드민턴협회장]
“Ahn Se-young is on a completely different level from the top players so far. I think he is a player that is difficult to see again (all time?). Yes, that’s right.”
▲ Badminton World Federation (BWF) Instagram capture
Ahn Se-young’s biggest weapon is said to be ‘steel stamina.’
Chairman Kim explained that the Korean Empress is a player who specializes in not just showing strength in endurance, but in extending this advantage to the point of mental breakdown of the opponent.
[김동문 / 대한배드민턴협회장]
“Because I play based on stamina and stamina, I am good at making rallies long and tiring out my opponents. In terms of physical strength, I instill in my opponents that ‘I am stronger and superior to everyone else.’ I always instill in them that I am mentally superior, so the longer it goes on, the less likely I am to win against Ahn Se-young.”
Technically, I thought she had surpassed the limits of being a female athlete. The jump attack, which increases RBI even in a tiring situation, was evaluated as particularly surprising. The analysis is that the techniques used by male rankers are implemented exactly as they are.
[김동문 / 대한배드민턴협회장]
“First of all, Ahn Se-young is showing the same skills that most male players can do because she has strength and everything else to support her. Even in a tired situation, she increases her RBI with a light jump and attacks at a faster tempo (…) There are overwhelmingly intelligent plays such as reducing her own stamina consumption but actually costing her opponent a lot of stamina.”
In addition to women’s singles, Korean men’s doubles are also among the best in the world. The team of Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho is leading the golden age of domestic badminton.
Chairman Kim evaluated it as “an ideal combination comparable to the best in our country’s history.”
[김동문 / 대한배드민턴협회장]
“Currently, our men’s doubles team is at the top level in the world. There are seniors (Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo), including me, but I think this is the most ideal combination. It is one of the doubles teams that plays with cool-headedness, concentration, and perfection. I see it as the best doubles team in Korea.”
▲ Yonhap News / AP
A combination of right and left handedness. He gave a thumbs up, saying that his wit in front of the net and stable attack in the back line greatly improved the quality of the game.
[김동문 / 대한배드민턴협회장]
“He is a combination of right-handed and left-handed, but he is very fast and both are tall. However, the quick and witty play and stable play in front of the net seem to be greatly enhancing the completeness of the game.”
Now that both Korean women’s singles and men’s doubles are at their peak, Chairman Kim Dong-moon evaluated that domestic badminton is in the midst of its heyday.
I am confident that if the juniors can maintain a mature mindset of focusing on playing at this moment rather than worrying about the results, ‘Cheongchuleoram’ has already been achieved and will continue even more strongly in the future.
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