An Se-young Achieves Historic Consecutive Asian Games Titles: "This Is Just Part of the Process"

"I think winning back-to-back Asian Games titles is just part of the process," said An Se-young.

World badminton powerhouse An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), who captured the women's singles title with overwhelming skill to achieve the first consecutive victories in the history of the Asian Games event, expressed deep emotion but did not place excessive significance on the record itself.

She seemed to regard it merely as one of the many milestones she will establish moving forward.

An defeated world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 29th, writing a new chapter as the tournament's first-ever back-to-back women's singles champion.

An smiled brightly and said, "I didn't think about the 'first' title and just entered the match hoping to win, but once it was over, it felt overwhelming."

She added boldly, "An Asian Games gold medal is simply a step in my career. I will be competing in many more tournaments ahead, and nobody knows just how much further I can grow, so I am excited for myself as well."

With her victory on this day, An continued her phenomenal winning streak, boasting a success rate of over 98 percent with just one loss out of 57 matches this year.

When she first set her sights on an undefeated championship run in the past, it was considered close to impossible, but given her current momentum, it is by no means a distant dream.

Although such a winning rate is near miraculous given the nature of individual sports, An showed her thirst for more by stating, "Since I did suffer one defeat after all, I am still far from my goal."

She remarked, "If I stay injury-free and do my absolute best until the end, I think I will eventually achieve an undefeated championship."


While some anticipated that the final would be a fierce battle—given how easily An had brushed past opponents throughout the tournament—this match once again served merely as a stage reaffirming her overwhelming dominance.

Even as Yamaguchi, a three-time World Championships winner, came out pressing hard with full force from the opening game, An calmly absorbed her opponent's attacks.

After seizing the initiative, An thoroughly dismantled Yamaguchi—whose fighting spirit had waned, leaving her sluggish—in the second game, conceding only 9 points to completely overwhelm her.

Though it looked like an effortless victory from the outside, An confessed, "I had a lot of concerns on the court."

Reflecting on the match, she said, "Because Yamaguchi is a player with great defense and speed, I found myself overthinking what kind of strokes to execute. Hesitating led to unforced errors, so trying to make quick judgments and choices as fast as possible led to a good result."

In fact, even before the tournament, An capturing the gold medal was regarded as a foregone conclusion barring any major upsets.

Her momentum was so overwhelming that the main point of interest was not whether she would win, but rather "what kind of performance she would display while winning."

This proved a completely different level of stature compared to four years ago at the Hangzhou Games, where she claimed her first gold medal through a grueling battle against Chen Yufei of China while fighting through injuries.

An shared her thoughts, saying, "I have changed a lot compared to Hangzhou. Those intense matches back then are why I was able to grow this much. I am grateful for every single part of that process, and I appreciate how it laid the foundation for the person I am today."

Though she seemingly has reached the pinnacle of the world stage, An is setting her sights even higher.

Her ultimate goal is "perfection."

Humbing herself, An said, "I still lack offensive power. Chen Yufei executes precise attacks from any angle, but I am not quite at that level yet."

She emphasized firmly, "If I practice and refine my offensive aspects further, I believe I can eventually become a player closer to perfection."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.