After An Se-young won a gold medal in women's singles badminton at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Naju City issued a special statement on September 30 to congratulate her.
An is a native of Naju and serves as the city's honorary ambassador.
In the congratulatory statement, Mayor Yoon Byung-tae expressed, "I sincerely congratulate our proud daughter of Naju, An Se-young, for her gold medal, alongside the 120,000 citizens of Naju."
He added, "Reaching the top is difficult, but maintaining that position is even harder. I applaud An Se-young's strong mental fortitude and relentless effort in overcoming the pressure of being the best in the world and standing at the top once again."
Mayor Yoon continued, "An Se-young, who has raised the Taegeukgi to the highest point on the world stage and brought honor to her hometown of Naju, is truly admirable. Her unwavering determination, more sincere than anyone else's in practice, serves as a great dream for children and instills pride and hope in the citizens."
An Se-young triumphed over Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 2-0 in the women's singles final held in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, on September 29.
With this victory, she achieved back-to-back gold medals at the Asian Games, becoming the first player to win consecutive golds in women's singles badminton.
Notably, throughout the tournament, she displayed overwhelming performance, not losing a single game from the first match to the final.
Following her victories at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the 2023 World Championships, and the 2024 Paris Olympics, An Se-young has now completed the first-ever 'Grand Slam' in women's badminton history by winning the 2026 Asian Championships.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.