'An Se-young leads the way': Korean badminton team vows to replicate Hangzhou glory ahead of AG [Jincheon field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"We achieved good results four years ago in Hangzhou (China), and we will do our best to match that performance."

The South Korean badminton national team has vowed to excel at the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games. The goal is to achieve results comparable to the 2022 Hangzhou tournament held three years ago, which yielded two gold medals, two silver medals, and three bronze medals.

The Korea Badminton Association held a media day for the Bae Deu-min-teon (CEO) team at the National Team Training Center in Jincheon, Chungbuk, at 2 p.m. on the 8th, where athletes shared their resolve ahead of the Asian Games. All 10 male and 10 female players from each team, along with head coach Park Ju-bong, participated in the media day.

Head coach Park Ju-bong said, "We have been preparing for the Asian Games while alternating between training camps and international competitions." He added, "For the athletes, these upcoming international tournaments and the Asian Games will be different. There may be pressure, but we hope they can convert that pressure into confidence and maintain their peak condition and performance levels for the remaining period. We achieved good results in Hangzhou three years ago, and we will do our best to match that achievement."

The Korea Badminton Association has set a target of winning three gold medals, one silver medal, and two bronze medals at this tournament. Smiling as he said, "If we achieve such results, there would be no regrets," head coach Park Ju-bong added, "We achieved excellent results three years ago, so we are striving to match that. Some players have improved their performance, while others have slowed down or need to improve further. Although the good results in Hangzhou bring some pressure, we will do our best regarding the outcomes."

The player receiving the most attention at this tournament is undoubtedly An Se-young (Samsung Life). She will compete in women's singles and women's team events, aiming for a second consecutive double crown. If she defends her title in women's singles, it would be the first time for a South Korean female athlete to achieve this feat.

An Se-young said, "As much as people expect and support me, I will prepare to show my best. I will put aside the pressure and enjoy the competition." She continued, "In Hangzhou, we went without high expectations for gold medals. This time, with many expectations placed on us and believing in myself that I can do it, I feel things have changed significantly. Of course, as an athlete, winning a gold medal is good. Since so many people are expecting me, I am also expecting myself to deliver. I will play the matches I want to play and enjoy them."

An Se-young further stated, "Having participated in too many tournaments and played countless matches, I view the Asian Games as just another international competition. The only special thing is that when we go up on the podium after winning, the national anthem plays. We will do our best to hear the national anthem." She added, "My physical condition is not poor or problematic in any way. I will continue to raise my condition and prepare for the tournament."

Seo Seung-jae, competing in men's doubles, said, "We have a goal of winning an Asian Games gold medal. We will prepare diligently for the remaining time and play a match without regrets on the court." His partner Kim Won-ho also stated, "This is the biggest tournament. We will do our best to play a match without regrets by faithfully going through the process until the end."

The women's doubles pair Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na (both from Incheon International Airport) also expressed confidence in achieving good results. Lee So-hee said, "At this Asian Games, we will compete in both the team event and individual events. We will unite tightly to bring about good results." Baek Ha-na similarly vowed, "We will prepare well for the team event without injuries, make a strong start, and perform well in the individual events as well."

South Korean badminton will challenge for medals at this tournament with An Se-young and Kim Ga-eun (both from Samsung Life) in women's singles; Yoo Tae-bin (Gimcheon City Hall) and Choi Ji-hoon (Samsung Life) in men's singles; the men's doubles pairs of Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho and Kang Min-hyuk-Gi Dong-joo (Incheon International Airport); the women's doubles pairs of Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na and Kim Hye-jeong-Lee Yeon-woo (both from Samsung Life); and the mixed doubles pairs of Kim Jae-hyun-Jang Ha-jeong (Yonex-Incheon International Airport) and Jo Song-hyun-Jung Na-eun (Gwangju Bank-Incheon International Airport). Additionally, 10 male and 10 female players will compete in the team events.

The Bae Deu-min-teon (CEO) team will depart on the 17th and begin with the team event starting from the 20th. The men's and women's team finals are scheduled for the 24th. Individual events will commence from the 25th. The finals for each discipline are scheduled for the 29th. Badminton matches will be held at Ichinomiya City Gymnasium.

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*This content was translated by AI.