Ahn Se-young almost left as 'Oketi', a new history of 'first-time championship' achieved as an original team

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean women's badminton team has made a new history. It is the first Asian men's and women's team championships in history. Women's badminton, which has suffered two setbacks in the final, has risen to the top in its third attempt. Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), who won no championship in this competition even though she won many competitions, also filled in valuable puzzle pieces in her career.

The women's badminton team, led by head coach Park Joo-bong, defeated host China 3-0 in the women's final of the tournament held at Konson Gymnasium in Qingdao, China on the 8th (Korea time). The tournament was held with three wins out of five matches in the order of singles, doubles, singles, doubles, and singles, and South Korea finished early with two singles and one doubles.

I overcame the burden of dealing with the host country well. Local fans cheering for China were especially loud at the stadium, but South Korea did not falter and played well. Ahn Se-young, who led the way, defeated Han Chen-si (38th in the world) 2-0 (21-7, 21-14) in 39 minutes in the singles, and Baek Ha-na (Incheon International Airport) and Kim Hye-jeong (Samsung Life Insurance) also beat China's Jiipan-Jang Xuan Group 2-0 (24-22, 21-8). Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life Insurance), who went on a singles match, came from behind to win 2-1 (19-21, 21-10, 21-17) against Xu Wenjing.

When Kim Ga-eun won the "Championship Point," national team players, including Ahn Se-young, took the national flag to the court and enjoyed their first victory. Earlier, they had to watch the victory ceremony after losing to Japan in the 2020 final and Indonesia in the 2022 tournament, but at this tournament, they smiled brightly and drew a new milestone in badminton history.

Ahn Se-young, the "world's strongest" who had no connection to the tournament despite many wins, also enjoyed her first win of the tournament with a big smile. As the world's No. 1 ranking in women's singles tells us, Ahn Se-young is showing off her "no opponents" class. He has won eight consecutive games against the world's second-ranked Wang Zhi of China. However, the team championship is a competition that cannot be won on its own. Not only Ahn but also the results of other players were important. This was the reason why the competition could remain a "tire in the ointment" in Ahn's career in the future.

Ahn Se-young completed the special title of "pre-emptive pressure" by leading the second group match against Taiwan, the quarterfinals against Malaysia, and the final against China on the same day. All three games played were played in less than 40 minutes, completing their given roles. And fortunately, it didn't end with Ahn Se-young's struggle. The Korean national team, united as one team, pushed the opponent without hesitation after An Se-young gained the upper hand. Other players, including Kim Hye-jung and Baek Ha-na, who formed a "temporary" doubles group amid Lee So-hee's injury during the competition, showed off their skills without being shaken. Thanks to this, South Korea only gave up one game in the semifinals of the tournament, and finished the tournament with a perfect victory of 3-0 in the quarterfinals and finals.

Thanks to this, Ahn Se-young further strengthened her true "GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)" position by filling in the puzzle of winning the Asian team championship, which was already empty in a brilliant career. In addition to Ahn Se-young, other players such as Kim Ga-eun, Kim Hye-jeong, Kim Min-ji, Lee Yeon-woo (Samsung Life Insurance), Park Ga-eun (Kimcheon City Hall), Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank), and Lee Seo-jin (Incheon International Airport) who participated in this competition also carved their names in the history of Asian badminton as well as Korea. The women's national team, which previously won a berth to the world women's championship in April, which will be given to the semifinals of the tournament, will head to a wider stage as an Asian champion.

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*This content was translated by AI.