'First in Badminton History' An Se-young's Overwhelming New Record... At Just 24, She Surpasses All Legends "The True Invincible"

*This content was translated by AI.

Praise for the 'Queen of Badminton' continues to pour in from overseas. After An Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) set a historic record proving she possesses the greatest dominance across all badminton disciplines in history, even local media in Taiwan could not hide their astonishment.

'ITS Sports,' a Taiwanese outlet, reported on the 27th (Korean time): "South Korea's Bae Deu-min-teon (여왕) An Se-young broke through 2,900 ELO points, writing a legend as the first and highest-ranked player in history," adding that she has reached an invincible state surpassing even great legends of badminton such as Lin Dan (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia).

Following her world championship title win on the 23rd, An Se-young's prime ELO ranking calculated by the statistics site 'Badminton Rank' rose from a previous 2,882 points to 2,903 points. She is the first player in history—across all five badminton disciplines (men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles)—to surpass 2,900 ELO points.

According to this analysis, An Se-young has demonstrated the highest level of dominance in history. The ELO ranking is an evaluation system that quantifies player skill in one-on-one matches to measure relative superiority.

In this ranking that quantifies a player's relative dominance, Olympic double gold medalist and five-time world champion Lin Dan ranks second with 2,807 points, while Lee Chong Wei is third with 2,773 points. Japan's Momota Kento (2,731 points) and Denmark's Viktor Axelsen (2,705 points) occupy fourth and fifth places respectively, while An Se-young's longtime rival Chen Yufei (China) remains in seventh place with 2,683 points. The outlet emphasized: "An Se-young stands at the highest position in history, among both active and retired players."

During the tournament, a cheerful anecdote involving Chinese players was also highlighted. Wang Zhiyi of China, who handed An Se-young her only defeat this season, approached her directly after suffering a 0-2 loss in the semifinals and asked, "How can I ever beat you?" An Se-young smiled and replied, "It's a secret," then added, "I always crave victory in matches, which is why I train harder." She cited her exceptional training volume and consistency as her key to success.

Earlier, on the 23rd, An Se-young defeated Japan's Yamaguchi Akane (world No. 2) 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in just 49 minutes in the women's singles final of the 2026 BWF World Championships held at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi, India. Following her 2023 title win, she climbed to the top of the podium once again after three years, achieving a historic milestone as the first Korean player to win the world championship women's singles title twice.

Her finalist rival Yamaguchi also acknowledged her decisive defeat. According to Japanese outlet 'Nikkei News,' Yamaguchi, who returned home wearing a silver medal, praised An Se-young: "She is an incredibly strong player who wins almost every tournament." He added, "It is fortunate that there are players who can continue to challenge even after reaching this level, and having someone like her makes me realize I still have much to grow. She provides excellent stimulation for myself."

Despite setbacks from a foot injury that forced her to withdraw from previous tournaments, An Se-young achieved an undefeated victory without dropping a single set from the round of 64 to the final. She now targets back-to-back Asian Games titles at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

According to NEWSIS on the 25th, upon returning home through Incheon International Airport, An Se-young stated: "This victory feels much better than three years ago. It will be a great driving force moving forward again." She added, "If I charge ahead fearlessly at the Asian Games with no intention of losing, opponents will feel nervous. I will move forward confidently as prepared."

Having proven herself as the most dominant player in history, An Se-young will compete in the BWF World Tour Super 750 China Masters from September 1 to 6, continuing her challenge for back-to-back titles.

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*This content was translated by AI.