An Se-young Makes History with Back-to-Back Badminton Golds at Asian Games

Badminton player An Se-young (24, Samsung Life) has rewritten the 64-year history of the Asian Games. She achieved back-to-back gold medals in women's singles by defeating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, the host nation's star player.

On September 29, at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan, An Se-young triumphed over world No. 3 Yamaguchi 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

With this victory, An Se-young, the gold medalist from the 2022 Hangzhou Games, became the first player in Asian Games history to win consecutive golds in women's singles. Since badminton was officially included in the Asian Games at the 1962 Jakarta event, no player had previously achieved back-to-back titles in this category.

Earlier in the tournament, An Se-young had extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to eight matches by defeating her in the women's team event semifinals. She showcased her exceptional skills again in the final.

In the first game, Yamaguchi initially took the lead, but An Se-young remained composed. After turning the score around to 9-8, she maintained her momentum and reached the first interval at 11-8. Although Yamaguchi leveled the score at 16-16, An Se-young intensified her attacks to secure the first game 21-17.

The second game was dominated by An Se-young, who pressured Yamaguchi with her wide defensive range and precise attacks. As the match progressed, Yamaguchi struggled to penetrate An Se-young's defense. An Se-young quickly built a significant lead and ultimately won the second game 21-9, sealing her victory without dropping a single game in the final.

In the semifinals, An Se-young defeated her former nemesis, Chen Yufei, in just 38 minutes with a score of 2-0 (21-5, 21-12). She displayed her world-class performance by overwhelming Japan's ace Yamaguchi in the final. Following her record-tying 11 titles in a single season last year, An Se-young has maintained an impressive win rate of 98.2% (56 wins, 1 loss) this year. Notably, she has not lost a single game in her four matches from the round of 32 to the semifinals.

This year, An Se-young has continued to break significant records. After defeating Yamaguchi at the World Championships in August, she returned to the top for the first time in three years and also claimed the Asian Championships title, completing a historic achievement by winning gold in the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Championships. She has held the world No. 1 ranking for over 100 weeks and currently boasts a remarkable win rate of 98.2% (56 wins, 1 loss).

Looking ahead, An Se-young is now focused on the upcoming Asian Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, aiming to achieve another career Grand Slam after her victory at the Asian Championships in April.