An Se-young, whose character is 'flawless' as well: Guiding applause for the losing player and mentioning her during an interview [On-site in Ichinomiya]

*This content was translated by AI.

An Se-young's (24, Samsung Life) roar filled the gymnasium. This was immediately after her victory in the women's singles badminton event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games. It was also the moment she achieved the historic feat of becoming the first woman to win back-to-back titles in the women's singles category in Asian Games history, following her triumph at the 2022 Hangzhou (China) Games held three years ago.

On the 29th, An Se-young thoroughly defeated Yamaguchi Akane 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of the tournament, held at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. With this victory, An Se-young achieved a "perfect championship" with no games lost from the round of 32 to the final, along with the historic record of becoming the first player to win back-to-back titles.

The moment her victory was confirmed, An Se-young savored the joy of winning the gold medal accompanied by her signature roar. She ran around the court holding the South Korean flag and expressed her happiness through gestures that elicited cheers from the audience. However, she did not focus solely on the celebration. After the match ended, upon noticing Yamaguchi standing to one side of the court, An Se-young pointed at her with her hand and guided the audience to applaud.

It was a situation where she could have simply enjoyed the joy of winning the gold medal alone and concluded things by merely exchanging greetings with Yamaguchi. However, An Se-young directly created an opportunity for Yamaguchi, who had fought with her best effort until the end in front of the home fans, to receive warm applause from Japanese spectators. As a result, not only Japanese fans but also some Korean fans who supported An Se-young were able to send valuable applause toward Yamaguchi as well as An Se-young.

An Se-young's "character" shone not only on the court. In an interview after the final, she mentioned her final opponent Yamaguchi and her semifinal opponent Chen Yufei (China), praising both of them. It was a display that properly showed respect for her opponents, regardless of the outcome or skill level.

An Se-young said, "I had a lot to think about throughout the final. Because Player Yamaguchi has excellent defense and is a fast runner, I had many things to consider." She also stated, "Every moment was critical. I hit the shuttlecock while thinking a lot, and I could not let go of the tension," re-emphasizing that the match against Yamaguchi was difficult.

When asked about her weaknesses, she mentioned Chen Yufei, her semifinal opponent against whom she had been particularly weak in the past, saying, "I still lack attacking power. Player Chen Yufei can hit accurately from any angle, but I am not yet at that level," thereby praising Chen Yufei as well.

Naturally, An Se-young is establishing herself as a true all-time great player who possesses not only overwhelming skill but also excellent character. According to the Japanese media Junichi Sports, Yamaguchi said in a local interview that day, "I fought with my best effort. As an athlete, I shouldn't say 'there was nothing I could do,' but at this point, I feel I have no choice but to say there was nothing I could do," acknowledging her complete defeat in the final against An Se-young, while adding, "But having a player who can challenge me is a wonderful thing for me."

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*This content was translated by AI.