"It was insanely fun" An Se-young, who wrote a new chapter in history: "I'd give it a score of 90" [On the scene in Ichinomiya]

*This content was translated by AI.

An Se-young (Samsung Life), who reached the top of the women's singles badminton event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games to achieve the historic feat of becoming the first woman to win back-to-back titles, shared her impressions of the tournament, saying, "It was insanely fun."

After crushing Japan's Yamaguchi Akane 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final at the tournament held on the 29th at Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, An Se-young met with reporters and said, "I feel like I was able to play a lot of what I wanted to, so there are no regrets about this tournament."

An Se-young had previously failed to secure a double crown at the Games for the second consecutive time after her team was eliminated in the semifinals of the team event. However, in the individual events, she demonstrated the presence befitting the "world's strongest" player and stood firmly atop the podium. In the team event as well, she served as the first singles player and won every match, but swallowed her disappointment as the subsequent players failed to maintain the momentum.

An Se-young said, "If I were to give this tournament a score, it would be around 90 points." She added, "Through seven matches, including losing one set to Yamaguchi (in the team event), I learned a lot. In that process, it ultimately made me stronger. I think giving it a score of 90 is quite generous."

He then reflected, saying, "Every moment was a critical juncture. Today as well, I hit the shuttlecock while thinking a lot and could not let my guard down for a second. You only know how it goes when you play until the very end." He added, "Of course, every single moment was always difficult."

He further stated, "I feel that every tournament is a new game. I try to keep thinking of myself as a challenger. That is why I want to keep winning championships. I believe that is what fuels my competitive drive."

An Se-young, who revealed, "I feel like I have grown even more than at the Paris Olympics," said, "I think the only path ahead is growth, so I am looking forward to it because I do not know how I will grow from here." She added, "In fact, I cannot even imagine the next Asian Games. Instead, I hope that by then I will have grown even more than I am now. I also want to try for a double crown again at that time."

Regarding the upcoming change in tournament format from 21 points to a 15-point system, he said with a smile, "I won't know until I play many matches, but while I may struggle in the early stages, I believe I can adapt sufficiently." He continued, "The risk of injury will also decrease significantly. So I am not too worried. It is not too late to worry about it next year, so I will worry about it then."

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*This content was translated by AI.